TT 

3O5 
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Professor  J«   Henry  Senger 


.HINTS    FOR    PAINTERS, 

DECORATORS, 
AND    PAPER-HANGERS. 


BEING 


A  SELECTION  OF  USEFUL   RULES,  DATA,    MEMORANDA,   METHODS, 

AND  SUGGESTIONS  FOR  HOUSE,  SHIP  AND  FURNITURE  PAINTING, 

PAPER-HANGING,    GILDING,    COLOR    MIXING,    AND    OTHER 

MATTERS    USEFUL   AMD   INSTRUCTIVE   TO    PAINTERS 

AND  DECORATORS. 

Prepared  with  Special   Reference  to  the  Wants  of  Amateurs. 

BY 

AN   OLD 


NEW    YORK: 
THE    INDUSTRIAL    PUBLICATION    COMPANY. 

1882. 
W 

fe 


£ 


NOW    READY. 

Second  and  Enlarged,  Haitian. 


The  Steel  Square 


AND    ITS    USES. 


By 


.    T. 


This  is  the  only  work  on  THE  STEEL  SQUARE  AND  ITS  USES  ev«r_ 
published.  It  is  Thorough,  Exhaustive,  Clear,  and  Easily  Understood. 
Confounding  terms  and  scientific  phrases  have  been  religiously  avoided 
where  possible,  and  everything  in  the  book  has  been  made  so  plain  that 
a  boy  twelve  years  of  age,  possessing  ordinary  intelligence,  can  under- 
stand it  from  end  to  end. 

The  New  Edition  is  Illustrated  with  over  Seventy-five  Wood-cuts, 
showing  how  the  Square  may  be  used  for  solving  almost  every  probK  ..» 
in  the  whole  Art  of  Carpentry. 

The  following  synopsis  of  the  contents  of  the  work  will  jjivt-  i 
idea  of  irs  character  and  scope. 


—  History  of  the    "Square."  —  Descrip- 
tion, with  Explanation-  of  the  Rules,  Fig- 
ures, Stales,  and  Divisions  shown  on  good 
Squares. 

—  Brace  Rules.  Octagonal  Scale,  Board, 
Plank  and  Scantling  Rules,  fully  explained 
and  described. 

—  How  to  lay  out  Rafters,  Hips,  Jack- 
Raft,  rs,  Purlins,  Bevel  Works,  etc.,  etc. 

—  Backing  for  Hips,  Lengths  and  Bevels 
of  Valley  Ralteis.     Laying  out  Stairs  and 
Strings. 

—How  to  describe  Circles,  Ellipses, 
Parabolas  and  other  figures,  with  the 
Square. 

—  How   to  obtain   Bevels  for  Hoppers 
and  all  kinds  of  Splayed  Work  and  Spring 
Mouldings,  by  the  Square. 

—  Bisecting  Circles,    Proportion  of  Cir- 
cles,   Division   of    Widths,    Bisection    of 


Angles,     Diminishing     Stiles,    Centering 
Circles,  etc.,  etc. 

— Theoietii:.al    Rafters,  Cuts  for    Mitre 
Boxes,  Measurement  of  Surfaces,  including 
Painting,    Plastering,    Shingling, 
Flooring,   Rough  Boarding,  Tinni 
Roofing. 

— l<ules  for  describing  Octagi •;• 
Polygons  of  every  descript'on  ai 
to  find  their  angles  . 

— Rules  for  finding  tl 
and    Hips    >  f    lrregpl.tr    Roofs,    ( 
Equal  and  Unequal  Mitres,  Trits- 
Bevel  Timber  Work. 

— The  Develop 

Roofs;      Veranda    Rafter.-,    Strai.,. 
Curved;    Hopper  Cuts  of  all  kind- 
Corner-pieces,    Splayed  Work  for    Co'.h'..-. 
Heads,  etc.,  etc.,  and  many  other  things 
useful  to  the  Operative  Mechanic. 


Handsomely  Bound  in  Cloth  \viili  Oil!  Title. 
Price  ONE  DOLLAR, 


INDUSTRIAL  PUBLICATION  COMPANY, 


HINTS    FOR    PAINTERS, 

DECORATORS, 
AND   PAPER-HANGERS. 


BEING 

A  SELECTION  OF  USEFUL   RULES,  DATA,   MEMORANDA,    METHODS, 

AND  SUGGESTIONS  FOR  HOUSE,  SHIP  AND  FURNITURE  PAINTING, 

PAPER-HANGING,    GILDIXG,    COLOR     MIXING,    AND    OTHER 

MATTERS   USEFUL   AND    INSTRUCTIVE   TO    PAINTERS 

AND  DECORATORS. 

Prepared  with  Special  Reference  to  the  Wants  of  Amateur*. 

BY 

OLD  HAND. 


NEW    YORK: 

THE    INDUSTRIAL   PUBLICATION    COMPANY. 
1882. 


<&  <* 


PEEFAOE. 


THIS  little  work  is  intended  to  furnish  the  PRACTICAL  HOUSE- 
PAINTEK — THE  EVERY-DAY  WORKMAN — with  information  sufficient  to 
enable  him  to  understand  his  business  intelligently.  One  of  its 
objects  is  to  deal  with  the  nature,  characteristics,  qualities,  and 
defects  of  the  materials  employed  by  the  class  of  artisans  for  whom 
it  is  written;  and  to  a  limited  extent  this  has  been  done  with  as 
tittle  theory  as  possible  ;  high-sounding  technicalities  have  also 
been  avoided  wherever  the  author  has  been  able  to  make  himself 
understood  without  them. 

It  is  thought  the  young  painter  may  derive  great  profit  and 
advancement  from  a  careful  study  of  this  book,  as  the  hints,  rules, 
and  recipes  it  contains  are  reliable,  practical,  and  of  every-day  use. 

The  author  has  consulted  many  works  on  the  subject,  and  is 
indebted  to  many  of  them  for  much  of  the  matter  contained,  among 
which  may  be  mentioned  "  Building  Construction  and  Materials," 
•'House-Painter's  Hand-Book,"  "Artists'  and  Tradesmen's  Com- 
panion," "Painter's  Guide,"  "  Chevreul's  Oils  and  Paints,"  and 
several  other  works  of  more  or  less  note.  -To  this  has  been  added 
-.Many  things  discovered  by  the  actual  experience  of  the  writer. 


M43339 


UONT-EETS 


PAGE 

Preface,  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .    iii 

Preliminary,  .......  „  7 

Preparation  of  Sin-faces,      .  .  .  .  .  .7 

Materials  Used,     ........  8 

Bases  and  Vehicles,    .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .10 

White  Lead,  Genuine  aiid  Adulterated,  .  .  .  .10 

Linseed  and  other  Oils,         .  .  .  .  .  .  .13 

Driers,        .........          14 

Coloring  Paints,          .  .  .  .  .  .  <  .    i5 

Blacks  and  Blues,  .......          16 

Yellows,  .........    17 

Browns,      '.........          18 

Pinks  and  Reds,          ........    19 

Lakes  and  Orange,  .  .  .  .  .  . .          .          20 

Green,  ..........    21 

L'roportion  of  Ingredients  in  Mixed  Paints,     .  .  .         '  »    - '    23 

Table  showing  the  composition  of  the  different  coats  of  white  paint, 

and  the  quantities  required  to  cover  100  yards  of  new  work,        .    23 
Operations,  ........          24 

Preparing  the  Work,  .  .  .  .  .  .  .25 

Taste  in  Color,      .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .30 

Graining— General  Remarks,          .  .  .  .  .  .32 

Graining  in  Oak,  Mahogany,  Rosewood,  Walnut,  Maple,  Satin-wood, 
Granites,  Marbles,  etc.,  .  .  .  .  .  .36 

Rules  for  Mixing  Compound  Colors,     .  .  .  .  .41 

Miscellaneous  Receipts,  for  Painting  Iron,  Stucco,  Glass;  Gilding, 
Gilding  on  Glass,  Gilding  Fretwork,  Painting  on  Gilded  Panels, 
Gilding  on  Wood,  Gilding  Letters,  Gilder's  Size,  Staining  Wood, 
Staining  Floors,  Varnishing,  Painting  Brick-work  and  Masonry, 
French  Polish,  Wood-filling,  Rules  for  Painters  to  Observe.        .    43 
Paper-hanging,  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .54 

Operations,  ........          56 

Cleaning  Paper-hanging?,     .  .  .  .  .  .  .57 

Varnishing  Paper,  .......          57 

The  Making  of  Paste,  .  .  .  .  .  .  .58 

Useful  Hints  and  Table  for  Estimating  Cost  of  Work  and  Materials,     ;"><) 


HINTS    FOR    PAINTEES 

.AKD  PAPEE-H ANGERS. 


THERE  is  a  general  belief  abroad  that  anybody  can  execute 
all  that  is  required  of  a  house-painter.  This  is  a  very  popular 
error;  it  is  not  so  easy  to  prepare  and  apply  a  coat  of  paint 
in  a  thorough  workmanlike  manner  as  some  may  imagine. 
It  is  still  less  easy  to  paint  in  parti  colors ;  and  very  few  can 
produce  a  good  piece  of  graining. 

The  painter  should  not  only  be  acquainted  with  the 
method  of  applying  paint  when  it  is  provided  for  him,  and 
the  brush  placed  in  his  hand,  but  he  should  know  the  com- 
position of  the  colors  ;  the  manner  in  which  they  are  made, 
and  the  colors  which  must  harmonize  with  each  other  when 
they  are  associated  together.  These  observations  beingf  of  a 
practical  nature  and  the  result  of  experience,  are  commended 
for  his  perusal  and  study. 

Preparation. — All  surfaces  painted  should  be  first 
thoroughly  dry  and  free  from  dust.  All  heads  of  nails  should 
be  punched  or  "  set  "  below  the  surface  of  the  wood,  and 
after  the  priming  is  dry,  the  holes  formed  by  the  heads,  as 
well  as  all  cracks,  defects,  etc.,  should  be  filled  up  with  putty 
made  of  raw  linseed  oil  and  whiting.  To  prevent  knots  or 


8  HINTS    FOR   PAINTERS 

"  fat  "  spots  from  showing  through,  they  should  receive  two 
coats  of  shellac  varnish,  and  when  dry  rubbed  down  with 
sand-paper.  The  shellac  should  be  applied  with  a  small 
brush.  It  dries  soon  and  may  be  painted  over  as  soon  as 
dry.  Shellac  prepared  this  way  is  called  "  knotting,"  and 
can  be  purchased  wherever  painters'  materials  are  kept  for 
salef 

Materials. — The  principal  materials  used  for  painting, 
/.<?.,  white  lead  and  oxide  of  zinc,  are  so  well  known  that  it  is 
.  .unnecessary    to ^ allude  particularly  to  their  manufacture  at 
':pr.esent%  vB^fV<?  Ijsfng  them  they  should  be  mixed  with  pure 
•    .  .r£»\Y«linseed  oil. .  Turpentine  may  be  used  in  cold  whether  to 
••-  »tt]%Jt*d  tke  jfalnt:vtf»rk  easy,  as  the    oil  is  apt  to  chill,  which 
Sickens  it  and  makes  it  difficult  to  apply.     In  warm  weather, 
i  owever,  turpentine  should  not  be  used  in  priming  any  parts 
where  the  sun  shines  upon.     In  cold    weather   it    is  always 
necessary  to  use  litharge  or  some  other  drier;    or  the  work 
will  remain  a  long  time  before  it  hardens ;  in  summer,  how- 
ever, driers  in  most  cases  are  unnecessary,  for  if  the  wood  to 
be  painted  is  as  well  seasoned  as  it  ought  to  be  there  is  little 
danger  of  the  paint  being  washed  off  by  rain,  as  it  will  mostly 
be  absorbed  in  the  surface. 

To  make  satisfactory  worK  it  is  imperative  that  all  cans, 
pots  and  brushes  used  in  painting  be  perfectly  clean  at  the 
start,  and  kept  so  whenever  the  conditions  will  permit.  A 
marble  slab  and  muller  will  be  required  to  grind  the  finer 
colors  used.  Sometimes  a  small  cast-iron  mill  will  be  found 
useful  not  only  to  grind  colors;  but  to  pass  the  tinted  color 
through,  so  that  it  may  be  thoroughly  mixed.  It  is  scarcely 
necessary  to  say  that  it  is  presumed  the  workman  will  know 
what  brushes  he  will  require  according  to  the  work  he  has  in 
hand.  His  large  ground  paint  brush,  called  a  "pound- 


AND   PAPER-HANGERS.  9 

brush ; "  his  half-size,  for  smaller  work ;  his  fitch  and  sash 
tools,  duster,  pallet,  putty  and  hasp  knives;  oval  and  flat 
varnish  brushes,  varnish-pot,  step-ladders  and  long  ladders, 
mahl-stick,  pallet-board,  gilding-knife,  camel  and  sable  hair- 
pencils,  whitewash  brushes,  jack  for  window  work,  cushion, 
tip-pole,  etc.,  etc. 

Large  brushes,  such  as  6-0  size,  should  be  bridled  when 
new  by  winding  good  twine  around  them  about  one-third  up 
the  length  of  the  bristles,  and  as  the  brush  wears,  this  binding 
can  be  unwound.  Care  should  be  taken  to  use  the  brushes 
so  that  they  will  have  a  flat  wedge-shaped  point,  straight  on 
the  edge.  This  can  be  done  by  holding  the  brush  always  in 
one  position.  If  brushes  are  turned  round  and  round  in  the 
hand  while  in  use,  they  wear  round  and  stubby  on  the  point 
.ind  soon  become  useless  for  fine  or  smooth  work. 

Brushes  that  are  in  use  every  day  should  be  placed  in  water 
half  the  depth  of  the  bristles  at  night,  taking  care  that  brushes 
containing  different  colors  do  not  come  in  contact  with  one 
another.  If  they  are  to  be  laid  aside  for  any  length  of  time, 
however,  they  should  be  washed  with  warm  water  and  soap 
after  being  thoroughly  cleansed  with  turpentine,  and  laid 
away  in  a  moist  place. 

As  a  general  thing  it  is  better  to  buy  putty  already  made 
at  a  regular  paint  store,  where  you  may  depend  upon  its  being 
made  of  good  whiting  and  linseed  oil  than  to  make  it.  Putty 
should  not  be  used  until  the  work  has  been  primed,  for  new 
paint  holds  the  putty  very  firmly. 

White  lead  is  to  be  judged  of  by  being  well  ground  and 
possessing  the  mellowness  given  to  it  by  age. 

It  is  well  known  amongst  painters  that  the  best  article  is 
the  most  economical,  as  it  works  out  with  more  ease,  and 
repays  the  difference  of  cost  in  its  better  appearance  and 
extra  durability.  Linseed  oil  is  also  better  for  having  due 


IO  HINTS    FOR    PAINTERS 

age,  for  the  same  reasons  as  the  white  -lead,  working  with 
softness  and  advantage  after  parting  with  the  water,  which  is 
generally  combined  with  new  oil. 

In  most  cases  driers  are  added  to  paints  to  cause  them  to 
dry  more  quickly,  and  a  solvent  is  sometimes  required  to  make 
the  paints  work  more  freely.  When  the  color  required  differs 
from  that  of  the  main  paint  used,  the  desired  tint  is  obtained 
by  adding  a  staining  or  coloring  pigment.  The  materials 
generally  employed  may,  for  convenience,  be  classed  as 
follows : 

Bases. — White  lead,  red  lead,  zinc  white,  oxide  of  iron. 
Vehicles. — Oils,  spirits  of  turpentine.  Solvents. — Spirits  of 
turpentine.  Driers. — Litharge,  acetate  of  lead,  sulphate  of 
zinc  and  binoxide  of  manganese,  red  lead,  etc.  Coloring 
Pigments. — Ochres,  lampblack^  umber,  sienna,  and  many 
metallic  salts  that  will  be  hereinafter  mentioned, 

White  lead  may  be-  obtained  either  pure  or  mixed  with 
various  substances,  such  as  sulphate  of  baryta,  sulphate  of 
lead,  whiting,  chalk,  zinc  white,  etc.  These  substances  do 
not  combine  with  oil  as  well  as  does  white  lead,  nor  do  they 
so  well  protect  any  surface  to  which  they  are  applied.  Sul- 
phate of  baryta,  the  most  common  adulterant,  is  a  dense, 
heavy,  white  substance,  very  like  white  lead  in  appearance. 
It  absorbs  very  little  oil,  and  may  frequently  be  detected  by 
the  gritty  feeling  it  produces  when  the  paint  is  rubbed  be- 
tween the  finger  and  thumb. 

White  Lead  is  sold  either  dry,  in  powder  or  lump, 
or  else  ground  in  oil  in  a  paste  containing  from  7  to  9 
per  cent,  of  linseed  oil,  and  more  or  less  adulterated, 
unless  specially  marked  "  genuine."  When  slightly  adulter- 
ated with  a  very  white  sulphate  of  baryta,  like  that  of 
the  Tyrol,  the  mixture  is  considered  preferable  for  cer- 


AND    PAPER-HANGERS.  II 

&in  kinds  of  work,  as  the  barytes  communicates  opacity  to 
the  color  and  protects  the  lead  from  being  speedily  dark- 
ened by  sulphurous  smoke  or  vapors.  White  lead  improves 
by  keeping,  and  when  of  good  quality,  will  go  much  further 
and  last  much  better  than  when  employed  fresh  ;  moreover, 
paint  made  with  new  lead  has  a  tendency  to  become  yellow. 
It  should  not  be  exposed  to  the  air  or  it  will  turn  grey. 

Of  all  the  bases  used  for  paints,  white  lead  is  the  most 
commonly  used,  and  for  surfaces  of  wood  it  affords  in  most 
cases  the  best  protection,  being  dense,  of  good  body,  and 
permanent.  It  has  the  disadvantage,  however,  of  blazening 
when  exposed  to  sulphur  acids,  and  of  being  injurious  to 
those  who  handle  it. 

Red  lead  is  produced  by  raising  massicot  (the  commercial 
name  for  oxide  of  lead)  to  a  high  temperature,  short  of  fusion, 
during  which  it  absorbs  oxygen  from  the  air  and  is  converted 
into  red  lead  or  minium,  an  oxide  of  lead.  The  color  is  last- 
ing, and  is  unaffected  by  light  when  it  is  pure  and  used  alone, 
but  any  preparation  containing  lead  or  acids  mixed  with  it 
deprive  it  of  color,  and  impure  air  makes  it  black.  It  may 
be  used  for  a  drier,  as  it  possesses  many  of  the  properties  of 
litharge;  it  is  also  often  employed  in  painting  wrought  iron 
work,  to  which  it  adheres  with  a  tenacity  not  equalled  by 
any  other  paints ;  it  is  sometimes  objected  to  for  this  purpose, 
on  the  ground  that  galvanic  action  is  set  up  between  the  lead 
and  the  iron.  It  is  also  frequently  used  for  priming  on  wood 
work,  and  is  especially  adapted  for  hard  woods.  It  is  fre- 
quently adulterated  with  brick  dust ;  this  may  be  detected  by 
heating  the  powder  in  a  crucible,  and  treating  it  with  dilute 
nitric  acid  ;  the  lead  will  be  dissolved  but  the  brick  dust  will 
remain.  It  is  also  adulterated  with  colcother,  a  sesquioxide 
of  iron.  Sulphide  of  antimony,  or  antimony  vermilion,  is 
sometimes  used  as  a  substitute  for  red  lead.  It  is  sold  in  a 


12  HINTS    FOR    PAINTERS 

very  fine  powder,  without  taste  or  smell,  and  which  is  insolu- 
ble in  water,  alcohol,  or  essential  oils.  It  is  but  little  acted 
upon  by  acids,  and  is  said  to  be  unaffected  by  air  or  light. 
It  is  adapted  for  mixing  with  white  lead,  and  affords  an  in- 
tensely bright  color  when  ground  in  oil. 

Oxide  of  zinc,  or  zinc  white,  is  durable  in  water  or  oil ;  it 
•dissolves  in  hydrochloric  acid;  it  does  not  blacken  in  the 
presence  of  sulphuretted  hydrogen;  and  it  is  not  injurious  to 
the  men  who  make  it,  or  to  the  painters  who  use  it ;  but  on 
the  other  hand,  it  does  not  combine  with  oil  well,  and  is 
wanting  in  body  and  covering  power,  and  is  difficult  to  work. 
It  is  easily  acted  upon  by  the  carbonic  acid  in  rain  water, 
which  dissolves  the  oxide,  and  it  therefore  is  unfit  for  outside 
work.  The  acids  contained  in  unseasoned  wood  also  have  a 
great  effect  upon  it.  When  pure  and  used  for  inside  work, 
t  retains  its  color  well,  and  will  stand  washing  for  many  years 
without  losing  any  of  its  freshness.  When  dry  it  becomes 
very  hard,  and  will  take  a  fine  polish.  This  paint  is  suitable 
for  any  place  that  is  subjected  to  vapors  containing  sulphur, 
or  in  places  where  foul  air  is  emanated  from  decaying  animal 
matter.  In  such  positions,  of  course,  zinc  paints  should  not 
be  mixed  with  "  patent "  or  other  driers  which  contain  lead. 
The  best  driers  to  employ  with  it  are  sulphate  of  manganese 
and  sulphate  of  zinc.  This  white  is  recommended  as  being 
preferable  to  white  lead  for  painting  on  a  dark  ground.  The 
reason  of  this  is  that  the  soap  formed  by  the  combination  of 
the  lead  and  oil  in  lead  paints  is  semi-transparent,  and  the 
dark  ground  shows  through  it.  The  want  of  density,  how- 
ever, in  zinc  paints,  is  a  great  drawback  to  their  use,  and  the 
purest  zinc  oxide  is  not  always  the  best  for  paint  on  account 
of  its  low  specific  gravity;  and  in  this  respect,  the  American 
zinc  whites,  which  are  frequently  very  pure,  do  not  generally 
give  as  good  satisfaction  as  the  zinc  whites  made  in  Belgium. 


AND    PAPER-HANGERS.  13 

Vehicles.  -  Oils  are  divided  into  two  classes — fixed  oils 
and  volatile  oils.  Fixed  oils  are  extracted  by  pressure  from 
vegetable  substances,  they  are  of  a  fatty  nature,  do  not 
evaporate  in  drying,  and  will  bear  a  temperature  short  of  500° 
Falir.,  without  decomposing.  They  are  subdivided  into  dry- 
ing oils,  which  become  thick  upon  exposure  to  air.  Of  these, 
linseed  oil  is  most  commonly  used  as  an  ingredient  for  paint. 
Its  qualities  when  pure  are  excellent,  and  it  may  be  con 
sidered  the  best  of  all  oils  for  use  in  paint,  putty,  and  other 
similar  substances.  It  oxidizes  and  becomes  thick  upon  ex- 
posure to  the  air.  This  property  is  very  much  increased  by 
adding  other  substances  to  it  and  boiling  them  together.  It 
is  superior  in  drying  powers,  tenacity,  and  body  to  any  other 
fixed  oil.  The  best  oil  comes  from  the  Black  Sea  and  the 
Baltic ;  that  from  the  East  Indian  seed  is  inferior,  as  the  seed 
is  less  carefully  cleaned,  and  contains  too  much  stearine. 
Raw  linseed  oil  is  clear  and  light  in  color,  works  smoothly, 
and  is  used  for  internal  works,  for  delicate  tints,  and  for  grind 
ing  up  colors.  Boiled  oil  is  much  thicker,  darker,  and  more 
apt  to  clog.  It  is  used  for  outside  work,  as  its  greater  body 
and  rapidity  in  drying  make  it  a  quicker  and  more  efficient 
protection. 

Volatile  Oils  are  generally  obtained  by  distillation,  and 
have  an  odor  resembling  that  of  the  plant  from  which  they 
are  obtained.  They  are,  as  a  rule,  colorless  at  first,  but  upon 
exposure  to  air  and  light  they  become  darker,  thicker,  and 
eventually  are  converted  into  a  kind  of  resin.  Spirits  of  tur- 
pentine is  the  best  variety  of  this  class  for  mixing  with  ordin- 
ary paints.  Naptha  and  benzine  are  sometimes  used  instead 
of  turpentine,  but  not  often,  and  their  use  is  not  recommended 
when  the  latter  can  be  obtained.  Good  spirits  of  turpentine 
is  lighter  in  weight  and  more  inflammable  than  bad.  It  is 


14        ';  HINTS    FOR   PAINTERS 

colorless  and  has  a  pleasant  pungent  smell,  whereas  the  smell 
of  inferior  qualities  is  disagreeable.  It  is  used  as  a  solvene 
for  resins  and  other  substances  in  making  varnishes ;  also  in 
paint  to  make  it  work  more  smoothly.  It  is  useful  also  in 
flatting  coats,  but  will  not  stand  exposure  to  the  weather. 

Driers. — Driers  are  substances  added  to  paint  in  order 
to  cause  the  oils  to  thicken  and  solidify  more  rapidly.  The 
•action  of  these  substances  is  not  thoroughly  understood. 
Chevreuil  has  shown  that  the  drying  of  linseed  oil  is  caused 
by  the  absorption  of  oxygen ;  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
for  the  most  part  driers  act  as  carriers  of  oxygen  to  the  oil,  a 
very  small  quantity  producing  considerable  effects. 

The  best  driers  are  those  which  contain  a  large  proportion 
of  oxygen,  such  as  litharge,  acetate  of  lead,  red  lead,  sulphate 
of  zinc,  verdigris,  etc.  They  are  sometimes  used  to  improve 
the  drying  qualities  of  the  oil  with  which  the  paint  is  mixed, 
or  they  may  themselves  be  ground  up  with  a  small  quantity 
of  oil,  and  added  to  the  paint  just  before  it  is  used. 

Litharge  or  oxide  of  lead  is  the  drier  most  commonly  used, 
and  is  produced  in  extracting  lead  from  its  ores.  It  can  be 
produced  on  a  small  scale  by  scraping  off  the  dross  which 
forms  on  molten  lead  exposed  to  a  current  of  air.  Massicot 
is  a  superior  kind  of  litharge,  being  produced  by  heating  lead 
to  an  extent  insufficient  to  fuse  the  oxide.  Sugar  of  lead,  or, 
as  it  is  more  frequently  called,  acetate  of  lead,  ground  in  oil, 
and  copperas  and  white  vitriol  (sulphate  of  zinc),  are  also 
used  as  driers,  especially  for  light  tints.  Oxide  of  manganese 
is  quicker  in  its  effects,  but  is  of  a  very  dark  color,  and  seldom 
used  except  for  deep  tints.  Japanners'  gold  size  and  verdi- 
gris (acetate  of  copper)  are  also  much  used  for  dark  colors. 
Care  must  be  taken  not  to  apply  too  much  of  the  size,  or  it 
will  make  the  paint  brittle.  Red  lead  (oxide  of  lead)  is  often 


AND    PAPER-HANGERS.  1 5 

used  as  a  drier  when  its  color  will  not  interfere  with  the  tint 
required.  It  is  not  so  rapid  in  its  action  as  litharge  or 
massicot.  Sulphate  of  manganese  is  the  best  drier  for  zinc 
white,  about  6  or  8  ounces  only  being  used  for  100  Ibs.,  of 
ground  zinc  white  paint.  The  manganese  should  be  mixed 
with  a  small  quantity  of  the  paint  first,  and  then  added  to  the 
bulk.  If  great  care  be  not  taken  in  mixing  the  drier  the  work 
will  be  spotted.  Sulphate  of  zinc  is  also  a  good  drier  for  zinc 
paint. 

Patent  driers  contain  oxidizing  agents,  such  as  litharge  or 
acetate  of  lead  ground  and  mixed  in  oil,  and  therefore  in  a 
convenient  form  for  immediate  use.  There  is  great  danger, 
however,  in  using  such  driers,  unless  they  are  of  the  best 
quality  from  a  reliable  maker.  Some  of  the  inferior  descrip- 
tions depend  for  their  drying  qualities  upon  lime. 

The  following  points  should  be  observed  in  using  driers : — 

i st.  Not  to  use  them  unnecessarily  with  pigmei  \s  which 
dry  well  in  oil  color. 

2d.  Not  to  employ  them  in  excess,  which  would  only  re- 
tard the  drying. 

3d.  Not  to  add  them  to  the  color  until  about  to  be  used. 

4th.  Not  to  use  more  than  one  drier  to  the  same  color. 

5th.  To  avoid  the  use  of  patent  driers,  unless  known  to  be 
of  good  quality. 

6th.  To  avoid  the  use  of  driers  in  the  finishing  coat  of  light 
colors,  as  they  are  liable  to  injure  the  color. 

Coloring  Pigments. — It  will  be  impossible  in  a  small 
work  of  this  sort  to  give  anything  like  a  complete  list  of  the 
pigments  used  to  produce  the  colors  and  tints  used  by  the 
house  painter  and  decorator.  A  few  of  the  most  useful  may, 
however,  be  mentioned.  It  is  not  proposed  to  give  a  detailed 
description  of  them,  but  merely  to  distinguish  those  that  are 


1 6  HINTS    FOR    PAINTERS 

injurious  from  the  others.  Many  of  these,  such  as  the  ochres, 
umbers,  etc.,  are  from  natural  earths ;  others  are  artificially 
made.  They  may  generally  be  purchased  either  in  the  form 
of  dry  powder  or  ground  in  oil. 

Blacks. — Lampblack  is  the  soet  produced  by  burning  oil, 
resin,  small  coal,  resinous  woods,  coal  tar  or  tallow.  It  is  in 
the  state  of  very  fine  powder ;  works  smoothly  ;  is  of  a  dense 
black  color  and  durable,  but  dries  very  slowly  in  oil. 

Vegetable  black  is  a  better  kind  of  lampblack  made  from 
oil.  It  is  very  light,  free  from  grit,  and  of  a  good  color.  It 
should  be  used  with  boiled  oil,  driers,  and  a  little  varnish. 
Raw  linseed  oil  or  spirits  of  turpentine  keeps  it  from  drying. 

Ivory-black  is  obtained  by  calcining  waste  ivory  in  close 
vessels  and  then  grinding.  It  is  intensely  black  when  pro- 
perly burned.  Bone-black  is  inferior  to  ivory -black,  and  pre- 
pared in  a  similar  manner  from  bones.  Blue-black  and 
Frankfort  black  of  the  best  quality  are  made  from  vine  twigs ; 
inferior  qualities  from  other  woods  charred  and  reduced  tc 
powder.  In  Europe  some  other  blacks  are  used,  but  we 
seldom  meet  with  them  in  this  country. 

Blues. — Prussian  blue  is  made  by  mixing  prussiate  of 
potash  with  a  salt  of  iron.  The  prussiate  of  potash  is  obtained 
by  calcining  and  digesting  old  leather,  blood,  hoofs,  or  other 
animal  matter  with  carbonate  of  potash  and  iron  filings. 
This  color  is  much  used,  especially  for  dark  blues,  making 
purples,  and  intensifying  black.  It  dries  well  with  oil. 
Slight  differences  in  the  manufacture  cause  considerable  vari- 
ation in  tint  and  color,  which  leads  to  the  material  being 
known  by  different  names — such  as  Antwerp  blue,  Berlin 
blue,  Haerlem  blue,  Chinese  blue,  etc.  Indigo  is  produced 
by  steeping  certain  plants  in  water^  and  allowing  them  to 
ferment.  It  is  a  transparent  color;  works  well  in  oil  or 


AND   PAPER-HANGERS.  1 7 

water,  but  is  not  durable,  especially  when  mixed  with  white 
lead. 

Ultramarine  was  originally  made  by  grinding  the  valuable 
mineral  Lapis  lazuli.  Genuine  ultramarine  so  made  is  very 
expensive,  but  artificial  French  and  German  ultramarines  are 
made  of  better  color,  and  cheaply,  by  fusing  and  washing 
and  reheating  a  mixture  of  soda,  silica,  alum,  and  sulphur. 
This  blue  is  chiefly  used  for  coloring  wall  papers. 

Cobalt  blue  is  an  oxide  of  cobalt  made  by  roasting  cobalt 
ore.  It  makes  a  beautiful  color,  and  works  well  in  water  or 
oil. 

Smalt,  Saxon  blue  and  Royal  blue  are  colored  by  oxides 
of  cobalt. 

There  are  a  few  other  blues,  such  as  Celestial  or  Brunswick 
blue,  damp  blue  and  verditer,  that  are  chemical  compounds, 
compounds  of  alum,  copper,  lime,  and  other  substances ;  but 
they  are  so  seldom  used  in  this  country  that  it  is  unnecessary 
to  describe  them  in  detail. 

Yellows. — Chrome  yellows  are  chromates  of  lead,  pro- 
duced by  mixing  dilute  solutions  of  acetate  or  nitrate  of  lead 
and  bichromate  of  potash.  This  makes  a  medium  tint  known 
as  "  middle  chrome."  The  addition  of  sulphate  of  lead  makes 
this  paler,  when  it  is  known  as  "  lemon  chrome,"  whereas  the 
addition  of  caustic  lime  makes  it  "  orange  chrome "  of  a 
darker  color.  The  chromes  mix  well  with  oil  and  with  white 
lead  either  in  oil  or  water.  They  stand  the  sun  well,  but  like 
other  lead  salts,  become  dark  in  bad  air.  Chrome  yellow  is 
frequently  adulterated  with  gypsum. 

Naples  yellow  is  a  salt  of  lead  and  antimony,  supposed  to 
have  been  originally  made  from  a  natural  volcanic  product  at 
Naples.  It  is  not  so  brilliant  as  chrome,  but  has  the  same 
characteristics.  King's  yellow  is  made  from  arsenic,  and  is 


1 8  HINTS    FOR    PAINTERS 

therefore  a  dangerous  color  to  handle,  or  use  for  internal 
work.  It  is  not  durable,  and  it  injures  several  other  colors 
when  mixed  with  them.  Chinese  yellow,  arsenic  yellow,  and 
yellow  orpiment  are  other  names  for  this  yellow. 

Yellow  ochre  is  a  natural  clay  colored  by  oxide  of  iron, 
and  found  abundantly  in  many  parts  of  the  world.  It  is  not 
very  brilliant,  but  is  well  suited  for  distemper  work,  as  it  is 
not  affected  by  light  or  air.  It  does  not  lose  its  color  when 
mixed  with  lime  washes  as  many  other  colors  do.  There 
are  several  varieties  of  ochres,  all  having  the  same  character- 
istics differing  only  in  color  which  varies  from  a  golden  to  a 
dark  brown. 

Terra  De  Sienna,  or  raw  Sienna,  is  a  clay,  stained  with 
oxides  of  iron  and  manganese,  and  of  a  dull  yellow  color.  It 
is  durable  both  in  oil  and  water,  and  is  useful  in  all  work, 
especially  in  graining. 

Browns. — Browns  generally  owe  their  color  to  oxide  of 
iron.  Raw  umber  is  a  clay  similar  to  ochre  colored  by  oxide 
of  iron.  The  best  comes  from  Turkey ;  it  is  very  durable 
both  in  water  and  in  oil;  does  not  injure  other  colors  when 
mixed  with  them. 

Burnt  Umber  is  the  last  mentioned  material  burnt  to 
give  it  a  darker  color.  It  is  useful  as  a  drier,  and  in  mixing 
with  white  lead  to  make  a  stone  color. 

Vandyke  Brown. — This  color  is  an  earthy  dark  brown 
mineral ;  it  is  durable  both  in  oil  and  water,  and  is  frequently 
employed  in  graining. 

Purple  Brown  is  of  a  reddish-brown  color.  It  should 
be  used  with  boiled  oil — and  a  little  varnish  and  driers  for 
outside  work. 

Burnt  Sienna  is  produced  by  burning  raw  sienna,  it 
is  the  best  color  for  shading  gold. 


AND    PAPER-HANGERS.  19 

Brown  Pink  is  a  vegetable  color  often  of  a  greenish  hue. 
It  works  well  in  water  and  oil,  but  dries  badly,  and  will  not 
keep  its  color  when  mixed  with  white  lead.  Spanish  brown 
and  brown  ochre  are  clays  colored  naturally  by  various  oxides. 

Reds. — Carmine,  made  from  the  cochineal  insect,  is  the 
most  brilliant  red  color  known.  It  is,  however,  too  expensive 
for  ordinary  house  painting,  and  is  not  durable.  It  is  some- 
times used  for  inside  decoration. 

Red  Lead. — This  color  has  already  been  described  on 
page  ii. 

Vermilion. — This  is  a  sulphide  of  mercury  in  a  natural 
state  as  cinnabar.  The  best  comes  from  China.  Artificial 
vermilion  is  also  made  both  in  China  and  in  this  country 
from  a  mixture  of  sulphur  and  mercury.  Genuine  vermilion 
is  very  durable,  but  when  mixed  with  red  lead,  as  it  is  some- 
times, it  will  not  stand  the  weather.  It  can  be  tested  by 
heating  in  a  test  tube ;  if  genuine  it  will  entirely  volatilize. 
German  vermilion  is  the  tersulphide  of  antimony,  and  is  of 
an  orange-red  color. 

Indian  Red. — This  color  is  a  ground  hematite  ore 
brought  from  Bengal ;  it  is  sometimes  made  artificially  by  cal- 
cining sulphate  of  iron.  The  tints  vary,  but  a  rosy  hue  is  con- 
sidered the  best.  It  may  be  used  with  turpentine  and  a  little 
fftrnish  to  produce  a  dull  surface,  drying  rapidly,  or  with  boiled 
oil  and  a  little  driers,  in  which  case  a  glossy  surface  will  be 
produced,  drying  more  slowly. 

Chinese  Red  and  Persian  red  are  chromates  of  lead, 
produced  by  boiling  white  lead  with  a  solution  of  bichromate 
of  potash.  The  tint  of  Persian  red  is  obtained  by  the  em- 
ployment of  sulphuric  acid. 

Venetian  Red  is  obtained  by  heating  sulphate  of  iron 
produced  as  a  waste  product  at  tin  and  copper  works.  It 


20  HINTS    FOR    PAlNTEka 

is  often  adulterated  by  mixing  sulphate  of  lime  with  it  during 
the  manufacture.  When  pure,  it  is  often  called  "  bright  red." 
Special  tints  of  purple  and  brown  are  frequently  required, 
which  greatly  enhance  the  value  of  the  material.  These 
tints  should  be  obtained  in  the  process  of  manufacture,  and 
not  produced  by  mixing  together  a  variety  of  different  shades 
of  color.  When  the  tint  desired  is  attempted  to  be  obtained 
by  this  lattei  course  it  is  never  so  good,  and  the  materials 
produced  are  known  in  the  trade  as  '  faced  colors,'  and  are 
of  inferior  value. 

Rose  Pink. — This  is  made  of  a  sort  of  chalk  or  whiting 
stained  v,ith  a.  tincture  of  Brazil  wood.  It  fades  very  quickly, 
but  it  is  used  for  paperhangings,  common  distemper,  and  foi 
staining  cheap  furniture. 

Lakes. — These  are  made  by  precipitating  colored  vege- 
table tinctures  by  means  of  alum  and  carbonate  of  potash. 
The  alumina  combines  with  the  organic  coloring  matter  and 
separates  it  from  the  solution.  The  tincture  used  varies  in 
the  different  descriptions  of  lake.'  The  best,  made  from 
cochineal  or  madder,  is  used  for  internal  work.  Drop 
lake  is  made  by  dropping  :•  mixture  of  Brazil  wood  through 
a  funnel  on  to  a  slab.  The  drops  are  dried  and  mixed  into 
a  paste  with  gum  water.  It  is  sometimes  called  "  Brazil  wood 
lake."  Scarlet  lake  is  made  from  cochineal ;  so  also  are^ 
Florentine  lake,  Hamburg  lake,  Chinese  lake,  Roman  lake, 
Venetian  lake  and  Carminated  lake. 

Orange. — Chrome  orange  is  a  chromate  of  lead,  brighter 
than  vermillion,  but  less  durable.  Orange  ochre  is  a  bright 
yellow  ochre  burnt  to  give  it  warmth  of  tint ;  it  dries  and 
works  well  in  water  or  oil,  and  is  very  durable.  It  is  known 
also  as  Spanish  ochre.  Orange  red  is  produced  by  a  further 
oxidation  than  is  required  for  red  lead.  It  is  a  brighter  and 
better  color. 


AND   PAPER-HANGERS.  21 

Greens. — These,  of  course,  may  be  made  by  mixing  blue 
and  yellow  together,  but  such  mixtures  are  less  durable  than 
those  produced  direct  from  copper,  arsenic,  etc.  The  latter 
are,  however,  objectionable  for  use  in  distemper  or  on  wall 
papers,  as  they  are  very  injurious  to  health.  Brunswick 
green  of  the  best  kind  is  made  by  treating  copper  with 
sal-ammoniac.  Chalk,  lead  and  alum  are  sometimes  added. 
It  has  rather  a  bluish  tinge  ;  dries  well  in  oil,  is  durable,  and 
not  poisonous.  Common  Brunswick  green  is  made  by  mix- 
ing chromate  of  lead  and  Prussian  blue  with  sulphate  of 
baryta.  It  is  not  as  durable  as  real  Brunswick  green. 
Mineral  green  is  made  from  bi-basic  carbonate  of  copper ;  it 
weathers  well.  Verdigris  is  acetate  of  copper.  It  furnishes 
a  bluish-green  color,  durable  in  oil  or  varnish,  but  not  in 
water ;  it  dries  rapidly,  but  requires  great  care  in  using  owing 
to  its  poisonous  qualities.  Green  verditer  is  a  carbonate  of 
copper  and  lime;  is  not  very  durable.  Prussian  green  is 
made  by  mixing  different  substances  with  Prussian  blue. 
There  are  a  number  of  other  greens  made  from  copper,  but 
they  all  possess  in  a  greater  or  lesser  degree,  the  same  quali- 
ties as  the  foregoing.  Emerald  or  Paris  green  is  made  of 
verdigris  mixed  with  a  solution  of  arsenious  acid.  It  is  of  a 
very  brilliant  color,  but  is  very  poisonous  ;  is  difficult  to  grind, 
and  dries  badly  in  oil.  It  should  be  purchased  ready  ground 
in  oil,  as  in  that  case  the  poisonous  particles  do  not  fly  about, 
and  the  difficulty  of  grinding  is  avoided.  Scheele's  green  and 
Vienna  green  are  also  arseniates  of  copper,  and  highly  poison- 
ous. Chrome  green  should  be  made  from  the  oxide  of 
chromium,  and  is  very  durable.  An  inferior  chrome  green 
is  made,  however,  by  mixing  chromate  of  lead  and  Prussian 
blue,  as  above  mentioned,  and  is  called  Brunswick  green.  The 
chrome  should  be  free  from  acid  or  the  color  will  fade  ;  it  may 
be  tested  by  placing  it  for  several  days  in  strong  sun-light. 


22  HINTS    FOR    PAINTERS 

Proportions  of  Ingredients  in  Mixed  Paint. — 

The  composition  of  paints  should  be  governed  by  the  nature 
of  the  material  to  be  painted.  Thus  the  paints  respectively 
best  adapted  for  painting  wood  and  iron  differ  considerably. 
The  kind  of  surface  to  be  covered,  /.  e.,  £  porous  surface  re- 
quires more  oil  than  one  that  is  impervious.  The  nature  and 
appearance  of  the  work  to  be  done.  Delicate  tints  require 
colorless  oil ;  a  flatted  surface  must  be  painted  without  oil, 
which  gives  gloss  to  a  shining  surface.  Again,  paint  used  for 
surfaces  intended  to  be  varnished  must  contain  a  minimum 
of  oil.  The  climate  and  the  degree  of  exposure  to  which  the 
work  will  be  subjected;  thus,  for  outside  work  boiled  oil  is 
used,  because  it  weathers  better  than  raw  oil.  Turps  is 
avoided  as  much  as  possible,  because  it  evaporates  and  does 
not  last ;  if,  however,  the  work  is  to  be  exposed  to  the  sun, 
turps  are  necessary  to  prevent  the  paint  from  blistering.  The 
skill  of  the  painter  also  affects  the  composition ;  a  good  work- 
man can  lay  on  even  coats  with  a  smaller  quantity  of  oil  and 
turps  than  a  man  who  is  unskilful ;  extra  turps,  especially, 
are  often  added  to  save  labor.  The  quality  of  the  materials 
makes  an  important  difference  in  the  proportions  used. 
Thus  more  oil  and  turps  will  combine  with  pure  than  with 
impure  white  lead  ;  thick  oil  must  be  used  in  greater  quantity 
than  thin  oil.  When  paint  is  purchased  ready  ground  in  oil, 
a  soft  paste  will  require  less  turps  and  oil  for  thinning  than 
a  thick  paste.  Lastly,  the  different  coats  of  paint  vary  in 
their  composition;  the  first  coat  laid  on  to  new  work  requires 
a  good  deal  of  oil  to  soak  into  the  material ;  on  old  work  the 
first  coat  requires  turpentine  to  make  it  adhere;  the  inter- 
mediate coats  contain  a  proportion  of  turpentine  to  make 
them  work  smoothly,  and  to  the  final  coats  the  coloring 
materials  are  added,  the  remainder  of  the  ingredients  being 


AND    PAPER-HANGERS. 


varied  as  already  described,  according  as  the  surface  is  to  be 
glossy  or  flatted.  * 

The  exact  proportion  of  the  ingredients  best  to  be  used  in 
mixing  paints  varies  according  to  their  quality,  the  nature  of 
the  work  required,  the  climate,  and  other  considerations. 
The  composition  of  the  paint  for  the  different  coats  also  varies 
considerably.  The  proportions  given  in  the  following  table, 
must,  therefore,  only  be  taken  as  an  approximate  guide  when 
the  materials  are  of  good  quality. 

Table  showing  the  composition  of  the  different  coats  of  white 
paijit,  and  tJte  quantities  required  to  copier  i  oo  yards  of  newly 

worked  pine. 


• 

ft 

A 

g 

| 

1 

9 

^  fi 

1  i 

1 

1 

KEMABKS. 

o 

H 

i 

"! 

O   H 

11     02 

i 

§ 

Inside  work, 

4  coats  not  flatted. 

Ibs. 

Ibs. 

pts. 

Ibs. 

Priming  
2d  Coat  

| 

16 
15 

6 

— 

11 

I 

Sometimes  more  red  lead  is 
used  and  less  drier. 

3d  Coat,    
4th  Coat  

— 

13 
13 

4 

— 

i£ 

i 

*Sometimes  just  enough  red 
lead  is  used  to  give  a  flesh- 
colored  tint. 

Inside  work,  4 

coats  andflatting. 

Priming        , 

l\ 

16 

6 

i 

1-8 

2d  Coat,  . 

12 

4 

if 

1-10 

3d  Coat  

12 

4 

o1 

1-10 

4th  Coat  

12 

4 

o 

1-10 

Flatting  

— 

9 

0 

— 

3.} 

1-10 

Outside  work 

When  the  finished  color  is 

4  coats  not  flatted. 

not  to  be  pure  white,  it  is 
better  to  have  nearly  all  the 

Priming  

2 

18?, 

2 

2 

1-8 

oil  boiled  oil.    All  boiled  oil 

2d  Coat  
3d  Coat,  

i  ~- 
lo 

15 

2 
2 

2 
2 

| 

1-10 
1-10 

does    not  work  well.     For 
pur:  white  a  larger  propor- 
tion of  raw  oil  is  necessary, 

4th  Coat  



15 

3 

21 

Q 

1-10 

because     boiled  oil    is    too 

1 

dnrk. 

24  HINTS    FOR    PAINTERS 

For  every  100  square  yards,  besides  the  materials  enumer- 
ated in  the  foregoing,  2^  Ibs.  of  white  lead  and  5  Ibs  of 
putty  will  be  required  for  stopping. 

The  area  which  a  given  quantity  of  paint  will  cover  de- 
pends upon  the  nature  of  the  surface  to  which  it  is  applied, 
the  proportion  of  the  ingredients  and  the  state  of  the  weather. 
When  the  work  is  required  to  dry  quickly,  more  turpentine 
is  added  to  all  the  coats. 

In  repainting  old  work,  two  coats  are  generally  required, 
the  old  painting  being  considered  as  priming.  Sometimes 
another  coat  may  be  deemed  necessary. 

For  outside  old  work  exposed  to  the  sun,  both  coats  should 
contain  one  pint  of  turpentine  and  four  pints  of  boiled  oil, 
the  remaining  ingredients  being  as  stated  in  the  foregoing 
table.  The  extra  turpentine  is  used  to  prevent  blistering. 

hi  cold  weather  more  turpentine  should  be  used  to  make 
the  paint  flow  freely. 

Operations. — All  priming  should  be  rubbed  out  as  far 
as  possible,  for  if  it  is  flowed  out  loosely  or  laid  on  thick  it 
will  be  apt  to  blister  and  run.  In  priming  over  spots,  how- 
ever, where  patching  is  being  done,  it  may  sometimes  be 
necessary  to  leave  the  coat  thick  or  heavy,  for  new  work  can 
never  be  re-touched  and  look  well,  after  the  work  is  second 
coated  or  finished ;  for  such  re-touching  would  show  and 
spoil  the  whole  work.  In  priming  the  paint  should  flow 
easily,  and  the  brush  should  be  pressed  on  to  the  wood  so 
that  the  paint  will  be  forced  into  the  pores.  In  all  cases  it 
is  a  great  saving  of  time  to  cover  as  large  a  surface  as  con- 
venient before  smoothing  or  finishing  off.  All  work  on  the 
same  surface  should  be  finished  at-  the  one  application,  if 
possible,  for  "  laps  " — which  form  the  junctions  of  work  done 
at  different  times — should  be  avoided  wherever  they  can,  as 


AND    PAPER-HANGERS.  25 

tney  are  sure  to  disfigure  the  work  where  they  exist,  Of 
course,  it  is  sometimes  impossible  to  avoid  laps,  but  where 
they  must  occur,  care  should  be  taken  to  make  the  connection 
with  as  little  "  lap  "  as  possible  or  it  will  be  certain  to  show 
through  the  work  when  finished.  The  defect,  if  occurring 
during  the  second  coating,  will  show  much  worse  than  in  the 
priming  coat. 

In  painting,  like  everything  else,  a  system  must  be  followed 
to  make  much  headway.  Experience,  perhaps,  is  the  only 
effective  teacher  in  this  matter ;  and  any  rules  laid  down  by 
us  will  have  but  little  effect,  if  the  operator  does  not,  or  can 
not  systematize.  The  workman  who  follows  a  system  will 
do  nearly  twice  as  much  work  with  less  labor,  than  the  man 
who  works  only  by  the  rule  of  thumb.  In  painting  blinds, 
lattices,  railings,  cut  brackets  or  other  similar  work,  some 
method  of  operation  should  be  adopted.  A  little  observation 
Dn  the  part  of  the  operator,  will  soon  teach  him  the  best 
methods  to  adopt  in  doing  any  particular  kind  of  work. 

Preparing  the  Work. — In  preparing  work  for  paint- 
ing, too  much  care  cannot  be  exercised,  as  succeeding  coats 
and  the  final  result  depend  very  much  on  the  proper  con- 
dition of  the  work  when  the  priming  coat  is  applied.  First, 
all  the  rough  places  in  the  wood  should  be  rubbed  down 
with  a  block  covered  with  sandpaper ;  and  the  mouldings 
and  beads  should  be  well  cleaned  out  with  sandpaper.  Then 
(and  this  is  a  matter  of  prime  importance)  every  knot,  how- 
ever small,  every  indication  of  sap  on  the  wood,  or  discolor- 
ation of  any  kind,  and  every  appearance  of  pitch  or  gum, 
should  be  carefully  varnished  over  with  white  shellac  varnish, 
if  the  work  is  to  be  finished  in  white  or  light  tints — or  with 
varnish  made  from  unbleached  or  common  shellac,  if  the 
work  is  to  be  finished  in  dark  shades.  The  common  shellac, 


26  HINTS    FOR   PAINTERS 

in  the  latter  case,  answers  equally  well  with  the  bleached 
article,  and  at  less  cost.  This  should  not,  under  any  circum- 
stances, be  neglected,  as  it  is  impossible,  in  the  nature  of 
things,  otherwise  to  make  good  work. 

When  work  is  to  be  finished  with  two  coats,  the  putty  used 
for  stopping  the  nail-heads  and  other  indentations  should  be 
made  of  white  lead,  worked  up  with  common  whiting  to  the 
proper  consistency,  and  the  filling  should  be  done  after  the 
first  coat  shall  have  become  well  dried.  When  more  than 
two  coats  are  to  be  applied,  the  filling  should  be  done 
between  the  first  and  second  coats,  with  ordinary  pure  linseed- 
oil  putty. 

It  should  be  adopted  as  a  rule,  never  to  apply  pure  white 
as  a  priming  coat ;  no  matter  whether  the  work  is  to  be 
finished  with  one  or  four  coats,  the  result  will  always  be  more 
satisfactory  if  the  first  coat  be  stained.  A  little  finely-ground 
lampblack  answers  as  well  for  this  as  anything. 

The  only  way  to  produce  solid,  uniform  work,  is  by  mak- 
ing every  succeeding  coat  lighter  in  tint  than  the  one  which 
preceded  it.  This  is  especially  the  case  with  walls,  and  other 
extended  flat  surfaces.  No  matter  what  the  finish  is  to  be, 
the  first  coat  should  always  be  darker  than  the  one  which 
succeeds  it;  and  the  darker  the  shade  of  the  finishing  coat, 
the  more  important  it  is  that  this  rule  should  be  observed. 
If  the  work  is  to  be  finished  with  black,  prime  with  black. 
If  with  green,  let  that  be  the  color  of  all  the  preceding  coats. 
If  with  blue,  let  that  color  be  the  ground  work.  What  can 
be  more  stupid  than  applying  to  work  which  is  to  be  finished 
in  imitation  of  black  walnut  a  priming  coat  of  white?  All 
work  should  be  primed  especially  with  regard  to  the  finishing 
color. 

There  is  not  half  enough  of  dark  colors  used  in  priming 
applications.  ,  Venetian  red,  finely  ground  in  boiled  oil, 


AND   PAPER-HANGERS.  27 

deeply  stained  with  black — and  used  very  thin,  in  order  to 
stain  the  wood  as  much  as  possible — is  the  best  first  coat  for 
work  which  is  to  be  finished  in  imitation  of  black  walnut  or 
other  dark  wood.  The  succeeding  coats  should  be  as  dark 
as  may  be  with  a  view  to  the  proper  shade  of  ground-work 
for  the  graining.  In  such  case,  if  (as  must  happen  in  the 
ordinary  course  of  events)  the  work  becomes  bruised  or 
"  chipped  " — by  an  accidental  knock  from  a  chair  leg  or  other 
article  of  house  furniture — the  general  appearance  of  it  is 
little  impaired  thereby.  Quite  the  contrary,  however,  is  the 
case  if  the  underneath  coats  are  white.  Then,  an  accident 
of  the  kind  before  mentioned,  shows  a  white  spot,  which 
staringly  proclaims  the  work  to  be  a  delusion  and  a  sham. 
Dark  colors,  too,  as  the  Venetian  red  before  mentioned, 
make  better  foundations  than  white  lead  or  zinc.  They  dry 
harder  and  "  rub  "  better,  -and,  what  is  most  important,  cost 
less. 

This  matter  having  been  duly  considered,  let  us  now  pro- 
ceed to  the  coats  succeeding  the  first.  Before  applying  a 
second  coat,  the  first  should  be  carefully  rubbed,  and  all  the 
nail-heads  and  other  indentations  carefully  stopped  with 
pure  linseed-oil  putty — using  for  flat  surfaces  a  square- 
bladed  putty-knife.  Puttying  with  the  fingers  should  never 
be  tolerated  (good  work  is  now  the  subject  under  consider- 
ation). This  done,  the  whole  should  be  carefully  examined 
to  ascertain  if  the  oil  in  the  former  coat  shall  have  revealed 
any  resinous  or  pitchy  spots,  not  previously  covered  with 
the  shellac.  These  preliminaries  being  attended  to,  the  work 
may  be  considered  ready  for  a  second  coat.  The  directions 
as  to  rubbing  with  sandpaper  are  to  be  observed  in  all  the 
succeeding  coats.  As  a  rule,  on  interior  work,  paint  should 
never  be  applied  to  a  surface  which  has  not  been  previously 
rubbed. 


28  HINTS    FOR   PAINTERS 

Sandpaper  for  fresh  work  and  pumice-stone  for  old  work. 
Always  distrust  the  education  of  a  painter  in  his  trade  who 
goes  to  work  without  a  lump  of  pumice-stone,  a  sheet  of 
sandpaper,  a  putty-knife,  and  a  rag  to  wipe  off  the  spatters 
— sparks,  as  the  Irish  not  inaptly  call  them.  Apropos  of 
spatters !  Every  painter  has  seen  (the  result  too  of  un- 
pardonable negligence)  plates  of  glass  so  covered  with 
spatters,  that  to  remove  them  would  require  more  time  than 
would  serve  to  paint  the  woodwork  of  a  "  full-trimmed " 
window. 

In  priming  work  which  is  to  be  finished  in  oak,  finely- 
ground  French  ochre  is  recommended.  The  objection  to 
this  pigment,  that  it  does  not  work  smoothly  and  easily  under 
the  brush,  has  arisen  from  its  coarseness.  Finely  ground 
in  boiled  oil,  it  works  as  smoothly  as  white  lead,  and  makes 
an  excellent  foundation  for  the  succeeding  coats. 

For  walls  the  first  coat  should  be  as  dark  in  shade  and  as 
thin  as  practicable,  the  object  being  to  stain  the  plaster  as 
much  as  possible.  Indeed,  if  the  whole  mass  of  plaster  could 
be  stained  through  and  through,  it  would  be  desirable  to  so 
stain  it. 

The.  use  of  glue  in  wall  painting  is  of  doubtful  propriety. 
It  should  never,  under  any  circumstance,  be  put  on  until 
after  the  second  coat,  and  then  rubbed  on  with  a  rag,  very 
lightly.  In  first-class  work,  however,  its  use  is  not  recom- 
mended. 

Plaster  mixed  with  weak  glue-size — which  prevents  its 
setting  too  rapidly — is  the  best  material  for  stopping  walls 
preparatory  to  painting,  and  each  coat  of  paint  should  be 
carefully  rubbed  with  worn  sand-paper,  before  the  succeed- 
ing coat  is  put  on,  For  preparing  walls  a  small  pocket- 
trowel  will  be  found  a  most  serviceable  tool,  or  a  trowel- 
shaped  putty-knife,  which  article  has  come  into  general  use. 


AND    PAPER-HANGERS.  29 

The  preparation  of  ceilings  for  whitewashing  (or  kalsomin- 
ing  as  this  operation  is  sometimes  pretentiously  called)  is  an 
operation  requiring  some  skill  and  knowledge  of  "  how  to  do 
it."  A  dirty  ceiling,  which  has  been  subjected  to  successive 
coats  of  whitewash,  whether  of  lime,  or  of  whiting  and  glue- 
size,  cannot  be  made  solidly  and  smoothly  white  by  additional 
whitewashing.  The  mass  has  become  spongy,  and  sucks  up 
the  water  so  quickly  that  the  material  cannot  be  evenly  dis- 
tributed. In  such  case  the  only  way  is  to  begin  anew,  to  go 
at  once  "  down  to  hard  pan  "  by  removing  all  the  previous 
applications  by  washing  and  scraping.  This  is  best  effected 
with  a  broad-bladed  square-pointed  putty-knife,  keeping  the 
ceiling  wet  meanwhile.  Plaster  (hard-finish)  is  not  of  uni- 
form density,  and  some  spots  are  much  more  absorbent  than 
others.  To  remedy  this  a  mixture  of  soft  soap  and  alum, 
dissolved  in  water,  should  be  applied  with  a  broad  kalsomine 
brush. 

It  is  not  assumed  that  mere  verbal  instructions  can  teach 
the  art  of  whitening  or  tinting  walls  and  ceilings  in  water- 
colors.  To  produce  good  results,  great  skill  in  preparing  the 
materials  and  dexterity  in  manipulation  are  required;  and 
such  work  should  be  intrusted  only  to  competent  hands.  A 
mass  of  unsuitable  material  may  be  cheaply  put  upon  a  ceil- 
ing ;  but  when  the  same  shall  require  repainting,  the  cost  of 
labor  will  be  greater  in  removing  the  previous  coating,  than 
will  be  the  whole  cost  of  repainting.  These  remarks,  too, 
apply  equally  to  all  kinds  of  painting ;  and  reference  is 
made  to  the  whitening  and  tinting  of  ceilings  only,  because 
of  the  general  impression  that,  this  kind  of  work  may  be  per- 
formed by  anybody. 

The  materials  and  tools  used  in  painting  are  too  costly  to 

wasted  and  worn  by  incompetent  handling.  "  Painting 
just  to  keep  the  gardener  or  hostler  out  of  idleness,"  will 


3°  HINTS    FOR    PAINTERS 

prove  in  most  cases  a  left-handed  economy.  Sucn  experi- 
ments are  prudent  only  when  the  services  of  skilled  workman 
cannot  be  obtained. 

Taste  in  Color. — In  rooms  to  be  lived  in,  simple  white 
for  color  of  walls  and  paint,  as  well  as  any  extremely  dark 
treatment,  should  be  avoided.  The  walls  of  rooms  should  be 
such  backgrounds  as  will  best  suit  the  complexions  and 
dresses  of  the  larger  number  of  people.  Delicate  white  in- 
tensifies by  contrast  any  unpleasantness  or  want  of  perfection ; 
extreme  dark  would  make  people  look  white  and  ghastly. 
Neutral  colors  will  be  found  the  best — generally  some  grey 
or  cool  color  that  will  contrast  with  warmth  of  complexions. 
On  no  agcount  let  an  absolutely  pure  color  be  used  for 
general  surfaces.  Nature  provides  no  such  color  in  pigments. 
Her  yellows  are  greenish  or  reddish,  and  so  on.  Nor  does 
she  use  it  to  any  extent  in  inanimate  nature.  So  much  so 
that  you  will  find  that  if  you  have  much  difficulty  in  describ- 
ing a  color,  you  may  be  certain  it  is  good ;  the  more  difficulty 
the  more  beauty.  Nature  trusts  mainly  to  gradations  of  tone, 
using  vivid  color  in  small  quantities  only,  as  in  the  touches 
on  bright  flowers  and  butterflies.  This  teaching  of  nature 
will  be  found  seconded  in  the  pictures  of  the  greatest  artists, 
and  in  following  such  teaching,  it  is  necessary  to  consider  the 
object  to  which  (in  domestic  work,  say)- the  rooms  are  to  be 
devoted.  A  drawing-room,  it  is  agreed,  should  be  light, 
festive  and  gay ;  dining-room  at  once  more  sober,  and  with 
more  depth  and  warmth,  as  befits  its  uses.  You  must  also 
consider  the  light  and  shade  ;  openings,  and  the  positions  of 
them  ;  for  these  may  (or  may  not)  effect  for  you  contrast  of 
tone,  and  may  even  touch  the  question  of  the  good  sense  of 
your  whole  scheme  of  decoration. 

In  a  lecture  delivered  before  the  British  Architectural  As- 


AND    PAPER-HANGERS.  31 

sociation,  on  this  subject,  the  lecturer  suggested  that  in  the 
treatment  of  a  drawing-room  the  walls  should  be  a  light 
neutral  grey,  fawn  color,  or  pale  green  (not  dark,  but  not 
white).  Dados  are  suitable  for  all  rooms,  even  drawing- 
rooms.  They  may  be  made  of  wood,  painted  as  the  room 
doors,  or  of  stamped  leather,  or  of  the  French  paper  imitations 
of  stamped  leather.  A  frieze  does  not  interfere  with  the 
heads  of  sitters,  and  adds  much  interest  if  it  has  its  sentiment 
or  story.  If  flowers  form  part  of  your  decorations,  have  no 
relief,  no  imitation  of  nature's  light  and  shade.  A  wall  must 
be  a  wall ;  if,  neglecting  this,  you  introduce  illusions  to  the 
eye,  the  sense  of  solidity  will  not  be  suggested.  The  Japanese 
decorate  on  correct  principles,  with  truth  to  the  idea  derived 
from  nature,  and  truth  in  art,  adaptation  of  representation  to 
materials  and  method.  As  regards  the  woodwork  there 
should  be  no  graining  anywhere ;  its  aspect,  however  well 
executed,  is  repulsive.  Real  woods  are  always  beautiful. 
Plain  painting  may  be  darker  or  lighter  than  the  general  wall 
surfaces ;  both  will  look  well.  The  doors  may  have  stencilled 
decorations  in  angles  of  panels  ;  birds  or  butterflies,  or  plants, 
or  any  beautiful  natural  objects  will  supply  motives.  The 
ceilings  should  rarely  be  wholly  white,  except  of  halls  or 
where  the  light  is  defective.  Papered  ceilings  look  well. 
The  use  of  gold  is  generally  satisfactory  ;  it  reflects  a  warm 
tone  on  everything  below.  Put  a  good  amount  of  color  on  a 
ceiling — not,  however,  making  it  so  dark  as  to  bring  it  too 
close  to  the  eye.  The  carpet  must  be  either  lighter  or  darker 
than  the  walls.  This  is  following  out  the  artist's  rule,  to 
make  either  background  or  foreground  run  into  the  figure. 
If  this  is  not  done  in  painting,  a  woman  in  white  satin,  for 
instance,  against  a  dark  floor  and  dark  walls,  will  look  like  a 
cut-out  figure  stuck  on,  and  the  same  sort  of  result  would 
occur  in  rooms.  As  in  ordinary  life  dresses  are  dark  in  color, 


32  HINTS    FOR   PAINTERS 

where  a  light  wall  tone  has  been  recommended,  the  carpet 
will  have  to  be  darker  than  the  walls.  Not  too  vivid  in 
color,  however,  and  of  course,  no  flowers,  ferns,  birds'  nests, 
and  such  like  fearful  things.  Furniture  and  hangings  should 
not  be  too  much  alike  in  color ;  have,  say,  the  carpet  one 
tone,  the  coverings  of  the  furniture  another,  and  the  curtains 
and  other  hangings  a  third.  Have  summer  and  winter  hang- 
ings and  furniture  coverings ;  those  for  the  former  light  and 
cheerful,  the  others  with  more  warmth,  and  suggestive  of  com- 
fort and  home  life.  A  table-cloth,  occasional  chair,  or  a 
rug,  may  supply  a  bit  of  effective  contrast  with  prevailing 
hues  of  hangings,  etc.,  and  a  spot  of  vivid  color  in  a  vase  or 
some  small  hanging  will  complete  the  formal  decoration  of 
the  room. 

Graining.— The  art  of  imitating  the  grain  <jf  the  more 
expensive  woods  has  been  brought  to  a  great  degree  of  per- 
fection, but  of  late  years  so  many  unskilled  workmen  have 
undertaken  to  imitate  the  natural  grain  of  wood  with  such 
imperfect  results,  that  this  beautiful  branch  of  painting  has 
fallen  into  partial  disuse.  A  few  remarks,  therefore,  to  the 
uninitiated  may  not  be  inappropriate  in  this  work.  Mahog- 
any, satinwood,  rosewood,  mottled  and  walnut  roots,  maple, 
and  some  others,  are  frequently  imitated  ;  and  it  is  seldom 
that  a  house  is  finished  without  some  graining  being  intro- 
duced. The  imitation  of  the  above-mentioned  woods  are 
best  performed  in  ground  distemper  (water  colors)  which  are 
always  preferable  and  more  economical  purchased  ready  pre- 
pared. Oak,  chestnut,  ash  and  similar  long-grained  woods, 
are  best  executed  in  oil-color,  particularly  for  outdoor  work. 
For  drawing  rooms,  delicate  party  colors  are  preferable,  as 
they  harmonize  better  with  the  neutral  tints  on  the  walls  or 
delicate  tinted  papers.  The  process  of  graining  is  very 


AND    PAPER-HANGERS.  33 

simple.  To  be  an  accomplished  grainer,  practice  and  an 
artistic  taste  is  very  necessary.  Too  frequently  the  imitation 
is  overdone,  the  shading  too  deep  and  obtrusive,  and  the 
work  made  too  glaring  with  figure  and  varnish,  has  an  un- 
natural appearance ;  a  grainer  should  always  avoid  attempt- 
ing to  over-do  nature.  The  following  is  an  approved 
method  : — The  surface  on  new  wood  should  be  prepared  with 
three  coats  of  oil  paints  for  the  ground  color,  and  regulated 
in  shade  by  the  color  of  the  wood  to  be  imitated,  making  due 
allowance  for  the  graining  tint  that  is  to  cover  it.  The 
ground  colors  should  always  be  perfectly  dry  before  the  grain- 
ing is  commenced.  The  painter  then  preparing  small  quanti- 
ties of  the  colors  he  requires,  applies  it  thinly  and  evenly  over 
the  surface  and  proceeds  to  wipe  out  with  his  thumb  and  a 
piece  of  white  cotton  cloth  the  figure  of  the  grain.  Some 
grainers  use  rubber  instead.  We  cannot  here  explain  all  the 
different  processes  for  the  imitation  of  the  grain  of  wood. 
Many  painters  have  a  method  of  their  own,  which  from  long 
practice  produce  excellent  results.  In  some  cases,  graining 
in  distemper  may  be  adopted  with  great  success  for  indoor 
work,  and  if  the  colors  are  put  on  thin,  so  that  the  varnish 
will  penetrate  through  into  the  ground  color,  this  kind  of 
graining  is  as  durable  as  oil-color,  and  is  susceptible  of  being 
made  far  more  beautiful,  and  soft  looking  in  the  imitation  of 
mottled  woods.  For  blending  distemper  colors,  a  badger's 
hair  blender  should  be  frequently  used  to  soften  down  and 
blend  the  tints  where  necessary  ;  but  for  blending  oil-color, 
in  order  to  produce  an  elongation  of  the  gram,  we  have  found 
a  flat  varnish  brush,  kept  moderately  damp  and  clean,  pre- 
ferable to  the  badger's  hair.  When  the  work  is  dry,  the 
shades  necessary  for  some  woods  should  be  laid  on  in  dis- 
temper-color (some  u.c£  thin  oil-colors)  and  then  covered  with 


34  HINTS    FOR    PAINTERS 

two  coats   of  good  oil   varnish.     Common   varnish   should 
never  be  used  on  outside  work. 

Oak  Graining. — In  oak  graining  the  color  is  made  in 
the  following  manner  : — Procure  some  finely-ground  burnt 
umber  and  raw  sienna  (or  Vandyke  brown  and  raw  sienna  if 
a  dark  oak  be  required),  and  thin  with  equal  parts  of  linseed 
oil  and  turpentine.  Add  a  large  quantity  of  patent  dryer  to 
make  it  stand  the  comb.  The  color  is  now  ready  for  use. 
The  graining  color  is  brushed  over  the  work  in  the  ordinary 
way  with  a  pound  brush,  care  being  taken  not  to  put  too 
much  color  on,  else  it  is  liable  to  look  dirty.  A  dry  dusting 
brush  is  now  used  to  stipple  with,  which,  if  properly  done, 
will  distribute  the  color  evenly.  It  is  now  ready  for  comb- 
ing. First  take  a  medium  or  coarse-cut  gutta-percha  comb, 
and  draw  it  down  one  side  of  the  panel,  then  use  a  finer  one 
to  complete  it.  This  comb  will  leave  the  marks  of  the  grain 
in  clear  unbroken  lines  from  top  to  bottom  of  the  panel.  We 
now  take  a  fine  steel  comb  and  go  over  the  whole  of  the  pre- 
vious combing ;  but  in  drawing  this  comb  down,  we  either 
move  it  in  a  slanting  or  diagonal  direction  across  the  pre- 
vious combing,  or  draw  it  down  with  a  quick  and  short  wavy 
motion  and  curl.  Both  the  former  and  latter  motions  will 
break  up  the  long  lines  left  by  the  gutta-percha  comb  into 
short  bits,  which,  of  course,  represent  the  pores  or  grams  of 
the  real  wood.  Next  take  out  the  lights  of  figuring  or  vein- 
ing.  This  is  effected  by  means  of  a  piece  of  washleather, 
held  tightly  over  the  thumb  nail.  Every  time  a  few  lights 
are  wiped  out  the  leather  should  be  moved  slightly,  so  that 
the  same  part  of  the  leather  will  not  be  used  twice,  thus  en- 
suring clean  work.  There  are  various  methods  of  doing  this, 
but  they  require  much  more  practice.  When  the  figures  are 
all  wiped  out  they  will  require  to  be  Softened.  By  softening 


AND    I'Al'ER-HANGERS.  35 

we  mean  the  imitation  of  those  half  shades  seen  upon  and 
about  the  figures  in  the  real  wood.  These  are  imitated  by 
doubling  a  piece  of  washleather  into  a  small  roll,  and  with 
the  side  of  this  the  grain  is  partly  wiped  away  or  softened. 
Care  should  be  taken  not  to  wipe  off  the  whole  of  the  grain. 
If  the  operator  has  a  piece  of  the  real  wood  to  look  at  oc- 
casionally he  will  be  materially  assisted.  As  soon  as  the  oil 
color  is  dry  it  should  be  over-grained.  This  is  effected  in 
water  color.  Next  go  over  the  work  with  a  bit  of  sponge 
and  soap  to  prevent  it  "  cissing."  Before  laying  on  the  over- 
graining,  wash  out  the  sponge  and  wipe  the  work.  It  is  now 
ready  to  receive  the  color.  Grind  up  finely  a  little  vandyke 
brown  in  water,  and  dilute  it  with  table-beer  and  water.  It 
is  then  ready.  Take  a  flat  hog-hair  brush,  3  in.  to  4  in.  wide, 
dip  it  in  the  color  and  draw  it  over  the  work,  in  most  case*" 
in  the  direction  of  the  combing,  but  occasionally  crossing. 
The  hair  of  the  brush,  being  thinly  placed,  will  separate  into 
patches,  and  hence  the  color  will  be  deposited  in  streaks,  re- 
sembling the  natural  gradations  which  the  wood  presents.  If 
you  have  not  a  brush  of  this  kind  a  sponge  may  be  used  to 
put  in  the  streak  and  to  soften  off  Then  dry  varnish  in  the 
usual  way. 

Spirit  Graining  for  Oak. — 2  Ibs.  whiting,  ^  Ib.  gold 
size,  thinned  down  with  spirits  of  turpentine,  then  tinge  your 
whiting  with  vandyke  brown  and  raw  sienna  ground  fine. 
Strike  out  your  light  with  a  pitch  or  piece  of  rubber  dipped 
in  turpentine,  tinged  with  a  little  color  to  show  the  lights.  If 
your  lights  do  not  appear  clear,  add  a  little  more  turpentine. 
Turpentine  varnish  is  a  good  substitute  for  the  above  men- 
tioned. This  kind  of  graining  must  be  brushed  over  with 
beer  with  a  clean  brush  before  varnishing.  Strong  beer  must 
be  used  for  glazing  up  top  graining  and  shading. 


36  HINTS    FOR    PAINTERS 

Old  Oak  in  Distemper. — To  make  an  exceedingly 
rich  color  for  the  imitation  of  old  oak,  the  ground  is  a  com- 
position of  stone  ochre  or  orange  chrome  and  burnt  sienna ; 
the  graining  is  burnt  umber  or  vandyke  brown,  to  darken  it 
a  little.  The  above  colors  may  be  used  for  oil  as  well. 

Pollard  Oak. — Ground  color,  a  mixture  of  chrome 
yellow,  vermilion  and  white  lead,  to  bring  it  to  a  rich  light 
buff.  The  graining  colors  are  vandyke  brown  and  small 
portions  of  raw  and  burnt  sienna  and  lake,  ground  in  beer  or 
vinegar.  Fill  a  large  brush  with  color  and  spread  it  over  the 
surface  to  be  grained,  and  soften  with  a  badger  hair  brush. 
'Take  a  moistened  sponge  and  dapple  round  and  round  in 
kind  of  knobs,  then  soften  very  lightly,  after  which  draw  a 
softener  from  one  set  of  knobs  to  the  other  while  wet,  to  form 
a  multiplicity  of  grain,  and  finish  the  knobs  with  a  hair  pencil, 
in  some  places  in  thicker  clusters  than  others.  When  dry, 
put  the  top  grain  on  in  a  variety  of  directions,  and  varnish 
with  turpentine  and  gold  size ;  then  glaze  up  with  vandyke 
and  strong  beer.  Finish  with  copal  varnish.  This  is  for 
distemper  only. 

Mottled  Mahogany. — The  ground  is  prepared  with 
the  best  Venetian  red,  red  lead,  and  a  small  proportion  of 
white  lead.  The  graining  colors  are  burnt  sienna,  ground  in 
beer,  with  a  small  portion  of  vandyke  brown.  Cover  the  sur- 
face to  be  grained,  soften  with  a  badger  hair  brush,  and  while 
wet  take  a  damp  sponge  and  go  over  the  lights  a  second 
timev  in  order  to  give  a  variety  of  shade ;  then  blend  the 
whole  of  the  work  with  the  badger  softener.  Put  the  top 
grain  on  with  the  same  color.  When  dry,  varnish.  For  dis- 
temper only. 

Rosewood. — Mix  vermilion  and  a  small  quantity  of 
white  lead  for  the  ground.  Take  rose-pink,  tinged  with  a 


AND   PAPER-HANGERS.  37 

little  lamp-black  or  van  dyke  brown,  and  grind  very  fine  in 
oil,  then  take  a  flat  graining  brush,  with  the  hairs  cut  away 
at  unequal  distances,  and  cut  down  the  grain  as  if  wending 
round  a  knob.  When  nearly  dry,  take  a  graining  comb  that 
is  used  for  oak,  and  draw  down  the  grain.  This  will  give  it 
the  appearance  of  nature.  Then  varnish.  This  makes  an 
excellent  and  durable  imitation.  I 

Another  for  Rosewood. — This  ground  is  prepared 
with  vermilion  and  small  quantities  of  white  lead  and  crimson 
lake.  When  the  ground  is  dry,  and  made  very  smooth,  take 
vandyke  brown,  ground  in  oil,  and  with  a  very  soft  tool 
-spread  the  color  over  the  surface  in  different  directions,  form- ' 
ing  a  kind  of  knots.  Before  the  work  is  dry  take  a  piece  of 
leather,  and  with  great  freedom  strike  out  the  light  veins-; 
having  previously  prepared  the  darkest  tint  of  vandyke  'brown 
or  gum  asphaltum,  immediately  take  the  flat  graining  brush 
with  few  hairs  in  it,  called  a  top  grainer,  and  draw  the  grain 
over  the  work  and  soften.  When  varnished,  the  imitation 
will  be  excellent. 

Curled  Maple  in  Oil. — Prepare  a  rich  ground  by  mix- 
ing chrome  yellow,  white  lead  and  burnt  sienna.  For  the 
graining  color,  grind  equal  parts  of  raw  sienna  and  umbet 
with  a  little  burnt  copperas  and  turpentine,  and  mix  it  with  a 
small  quantity  of  grainer's  cream,  thin  the  color  with  oil ; 
then  fill  a  tool  and  spread  the  surface  even  and  rub  out  the 
lights  with  sharp  edge  of  a  piece  of  buff  leather,  wiping  it 
frequently  to  keep  it  clean  ;  soften  the  edges  of  the  work  very 
lightly,  and  when  dry,  put  on  the  top  grain  with  burnt  umber 
and  raw  sienna  ground  in  beer  with  the  white  of  an  egg  beat 
into  it.  Varnish. 

Curled  Maple  in  Distemper. — Prepare  a  light  yel- 
low for  the  ground,  by  mixing  chrome  yellow  and  white  lead, 


38  HINTS    FOR    PAINTERS 

tinged  with  Venetian  red.  The  graining  color  is  a  mixture  of 
equal  portions  of  raw  sienna  and  Vandyke  brown,  ground  in 
beer.  Spread  the  surface  to  be  grained  in  an  even  manner; 
then  with  a  piece  of  cork  "rub  across  the  work  to  and  fro,  to 
form  the  grains  which  run  across  the  wood;  soften,  and  when 
dry  lightly  top  grain  with  the  same  color.  Varnish. 

Bird's  Eye  Maple  in  Oil.— The  ground  is  a  light 
buff",  prepared  writh  white  lead,  chrome  yellow  and  a  little 
vermilion  or  English  Venetian,  to  take  off  the  rawness  of  the 
yellow.  The  graining  color  is  equal  parts  of  raw  umber  and 
sienna,  ground  in  oil  to  the  proper  consistency.  Spread  the 
surface  of  the  work  with  this  color,  and  having  some  of  the 
same  prepared  a  little  thicker,  immediately  take  a  sash  tool 
or  sponge  and  put  on  the  dark  shades,  and  soften  with  a 
badger  hair  brush  ;  before  the  color  is  dry  put  on  the  eyes  by 
dabbing  the  dotting  machine  on  the  work,  or  by  striking  the 
colors  short  and  sharp  with  the  tips  of  the  fingers,  then  blend 
slightly  the  eyes  in  one  direction  only.  When  dry,  put  on  the 
grain  with  the  camels  hair  pencil  on  the  prominent  parts  to 
imitate  the  small  hearts  of  the  wood.  The  same  graining 
colors  to  be  ground  in  here  for  distemper. 

Walnut  in  Oil. — The  ground  is  formed  with  ochre, 
Indian  red,  umber,  and  white.  The  graining  coat  is  similar 
to  that  described  under  the  oak  heading,  and  is  prepared 
with  vandyke  brown ;  and  for  the  darker  shades,  fine  ivory- 
black  ;  the  wiping  out  and  blending  to  resemble  that  in 
mahogany;  the  fine  dark  veins  of  ivory-black  to  be  lightly 
and  wavily  drawn  over  the  work  after  it  is  blended.  It  is 
then  ready  for  the  varnish. 

Satin-wood  in  Distemper. — This  ground  is  prepared 
with  white  lead,  stone  ochre  and  small  quantities  of  chrome 
yellow  and  burnt  sienna.  The  graining  color  is  one- third  of 


AND   PAPER-HANGERS.  39 

raw  sienna  and  whiting,  ground  in  pale  ale,  very  thin ;  then 
spread  the  color  over  the  surface  to  be  grained.  While  wet 
soften,  and  have  ready  a  wet  roller  or  mottling  brush,  in  order 
to  take  out  the  lights ;  blend  the  whole  with  the  badger  hair 
brush,  and  with  the  same  color  put  on  the  top  grain.  Var- 
nish. 

To  Imitate  Granite  in  Oil. — For  the  ground  color, 
stain  your  white  lead  to  a  light  lead  color,  with  lamp-black 
and  a  little  rose-pink.  Throw  en  black  spots  with  a  coarse 
brush  or  graniting  machine.  A  pair  red  also,  and  fill  up  with 
white  before  the  ground  is  dry. 

Another  for  the  Same. — A  black  ground;  when  half 
dry  throw  in  vermilion,  a  deep  yellow,  and  white  spots. 

Marble. — F 'or  White  Marble,  get  up  a  pure  white  ground, 
then  hold  a  lighted  tallow  candle  near  the  surface,  and  allow 
the^  smoke  to  form  the  shades  and  various  tints  desired.  This 
will  make  a  very  handsome  imitation.  Black  Marble. — 
Imitation  is  made  by  streaking  a  black  surface  with  colors, 
using  a  feather  and  pencil.  Another  plan  is  to  get  up  a 
smooth  black  surface ;  then  take  the  colors,  green,  yellow, 
red,  white,  etc.,  ground  thick  in  gold  size,  and  streak  the  sur- 
face with  a  stick  or  hair  pencil.  Allow  it  to  dry,  and  apply  a 
heavy  coat  of  lamp-black  and  yellow  ochre  mixed,  mixed 
rough  stuff.  When  all  is  hard,  rub  down  to  a  level  surface 
with  lump  pumice-stone,  varnish  and  a  beautiful  variegated 
marble  will  be  the  result. 

Red  Marble. — For  the  ground  put  on  a  white  tinged 
with  lake  or  vermilion ;  then  apply  deep  red  patches,  filling 
up  the  intermediate  spaces  with  brown  and  white  mixed  in 
oil ;  then  blend  them  together;  if  in  quick  drying  colors,  use 
about  half  turpentine  and  gold  size.  When  dry,  varnish: 


40  HINTS    FOR   PAINTERS 

and  while  the  varnish  is  wet,  put  in  a  multitude  of  fine  white 
threads,  crossing  the  whole  work  in  all  directions,  as  the  wet 
varnish  brings  the  pencil  to  a  fine  point. 

Jasper  Marble. — Put  on  a  white  ground  lightly  tinged 
with  blue ;  then  put  on  patches  of  rich  reds  or  rose-pink, 
leaving  spaces  of  the  white  ground  ;  then  partly  cover  these 
spaces  with  various  browns  to  form  fossils,  in  places  running' 
veins ;  then  put  in  a  few  spots  of  white  in  the  centre  of  some 
of  the  red  patches,  and  leaving,  in  places,  masses  nearly  white. 
When  dry  use  the  clearest  varnish. 

Blue  and  Gold  Marble.— For  the  ground  color  put  on 
a  light  blue ;  then  take  blue,  with  a  small  piece  of  white  lead 
and  some  dark  common  blue,  and  dab  on  the  ground  in 
patches,  leaving  portions  of  the  ground  to  shine  between ; 
then  blend  the  edges  together  with  a  dusted  or  a  softener ; 
afterwards  draw  on  some  white  veins  in  every  direction,  leav- 
ing large  open  spaces  to  be  filled  up  with  a  pale  yellov^  or 
gold  paint ;  finish  with  some  fine  white  running  threads,  and 
a  coat  of  varnish  at  last. 

Black  and  Gold  Marble. — This  description  of  marble 
is  very  chaste,  arid  is  in  great  demand.  The  ground  is  a 
deep  black,  or  a  dead  color,  in  gold  size,  drop  black  and  tur- 
pentine; second  coat,  black  japan.  Commence  veining; 
mix  white  and  yellow  ochre  with  a  small  quantity  of  vermilion 
to  give  a  gold  tinge ;  dip  the  pencil  in  this  color,  and  dab  on 
the  ground  with  great  freedom  some  large  patches,  from 
which  small  threads  must  be  drawn  in  several  directions. 

In  the  deepest  part  of  the  black  a  white  vein  is  sometimes 
seen  running  with  a  number  of  small  veins  attached  to  it,  but 
care  must  be  taken  that  these  threads  are  connected  with  and 
run,  in  some  degree,  in  the  same  direction  with  the  thicker 
veins.  If  durability  is  not  an  object,  and  the  work  required 


AND  PAPER-HANGERS.  41 

"in  a  short  time,  it  may  be  executed  very  quickly  in  distemper 
colors,  and  when  varnished,  it  will  look  well. 

Compound  Colors. — The  following  tints  can  be  formed 
by  mixing  the  colors  as  below.  The  shades  can  be  made  to 
suit  any  taste  by  the  exercise  of  a  little  judgment  in  propor- 
tioning the  colors : 

Cream. — White  lead,  yellow  and  red. 

Drab. — White,  Prussian  blue  and  vermilion. 

Pawn. — White,  stone  ochre  and  vermilion. 

Flesh. — Lake,  white  lead,  and  a  little  vermilion. 

Grey,  Pearl — White  lead,  Prussian  blue,  and  a  very  little 
black. 

Grey,  Flaxseed. — White  lead,  Prussian  blue,  and  a  little 
lake. 

Gold. — Massicot,  or  Naples  yellow,  with  a  small  quantity 
of  Realgar  and  Spanish  white. 

Green  Light  willow.- — White,  mixed  with  verdigris. 

Green,  Grass. — Yellow  pink  with  verdigris. 

Green,  Pea. — White  lead  and  chrome  or  Paris  green. 

Green,  Dark. — Black  and  chrome  green. 

Green,  Olive. — Prussian  blue  and  French  yellow ;  mix  to 
the  tints  required.  This  is  a  cheap  and  handsome  color  for 
outside  work,  such  as  doors,  carts,  wagons,  railway  cars,  etc. 

Jonquil. — Yellow,  pink  and  white  lead.  This  color  is  only 
for  distemper. 

Lead. — Prussian  bme  and  white,  with  a  light  shade  of 
white. 

Olive. — For  distemper,  use  indigo  and  yellow  pin'  mixed 
with  whiting  or  white  lead  powder. 

Olive. — Red,  green,  or  black  and  yellow. 

Pearl. — White  lead,  Prussian  blue  and  red. 

Purple. — Dark  red  mixed  with  violet. 


42  HINTS    FOR   PAINTERS 

Purple. — White,  Prussian  blue  and  vermilion. 

Red,  Dark. — English  Venetian,  red  lead  and  litharge. 

Red,  Light. — Venetian  red,  and  red  lead  in  equal  parts. 

Red,  Deep. — Vermilion,  with  a  very  small  quantity  of  red 
lead. 

Stone. — White,  with  a  little  spruce  ochre. 

Straw. — White  lead  and  yellow. 

Snuff. — Yellow,  sienna  and  red. 

Slate. — White  lead,  black,  red  and  blue. 

Steel. — Ceruse,  Prussian  blue,  fine  lac  and  vermilion. 

Salmon. — White  lead,  yellow  and  red. 

Walnut. — Tree  color ;  two-thirds  white  lead  and  one-third 
red  ochre,  yellow  ochre  and  umber,  mixed  according  to  the 
shade  sought.  If  veining  is  required,  use  different  shades  of 
the  same  mixture.  (See  article  on  graining). 

Yellow,  Light. — French  yellow  and  white  lead.  A  little 
red  lead  may  be  used. 

Another. — French  yellow,  white  and  red  lead. 

Another. — A  mixture  of  a  small  portion  of  Prussian  blue, 
French  yellow,  white  lead  and  Turkey  umber  and  burnt 
vitriol,  or  litharge,  will  produce  different  shades  of  yellow, 
according  to  the  preponderance  of  one  of  the  above  colors. 

Yellow.— Bright  for  floors,  white  lead,  French  yellow, 
chrome  yellow  a  little,  some  red  lead  and  litharge ;  mix  with 
equal  parts  of  boiled  oil  and  turpentine  and  use  it  thin. 

Yellow^  Dark. — French  yellow  and  a  little  red. 

Yellow,  Lemon. — Yellow  pink,  with  Naples  yellow.  For 
distemper  only. 


AND    PAPER-HANGERS.  43 


MISCELLANEOUS  RECEIPTS. 

For  Iron. — A  good  paint  for  preserving  iron  exposed  to 
the  weather,  is  made  as  follows : 

Pulverized  oxides  of  iron,  such  as  yellow  and  red  iron 
ochres,  or  brown  hematite  iron  ores,  finely  ground,  and  simply 
mixed  with  linseed  oil  and  a  dryer. 

White  lead  applied  directly  to  iron  is  thought  to  have  a 
corrosive  effect.  It  may  be  applied  over  more  durable 
colors.  • 

Red  lead,  when  pure,  is  very  durable.  An  instance  is  re- 
corded of  iron  painted  with  it  having  been  under  water  for 
nearly  50  years,  and  had  not  been  affected  by  rust. 

Sheet  iron,  before  being  used  for  roofs  or  other  outside 
purposes,  should  be  heated  and  dipped  into  hot  linseed  oil, 
which  will  penetrate  into  it.  Tinned  iron  in  roofs  has  been 
found  to  corrode  quicker  than  in  former  years,  owing  to  the 
more  general  use  of  coal. 

Paint  for  Rusty  Iron. — Black  Japan  varnish,  mixed 
with  turpentine,  to  make  it  thinner  if  necessary,  is  one  of  the 
best  preventatives ;  but  the  iron  must  be  dry  when  you  put 
it  on.  If  you  can  warm  the  iron  when  painting  it,  so  much 
the  better.  If  not  sufficiently  opaque,  you  may  put  in  dry 
finely  pulverized  paint,  such  as  lamp-black.  Red  lead,  with  lin- 
seed oil  is  also  a  good  paint  for  rusted  iron ;  so  are  the  mineral 
reddish-browns  which  consist  of  oxide  of  iron ;  they  become 
very  hard,  and  are  used  for  the  iron-work  of  the  elevated 
railroads  in  this  city. 


44  rtlNTS    FOR   PAINTERS 

To  Paint  on  .ytucco. — Great  care  is  required  in  paint- 
ing upon  stucco,  for  the  work  must  not  only  be  thoroughly 
dry,  but  free  from  any  liability  of  dampness ;  that  is  to  say, 
the  walls  themselves  must  be  dry.  It  is,  consequently,  usual 
to  allow  the  stucco  to  remain  for  several  months  before  it  is 
painted ;  and  this  is  especially  necessary  when  it  covers  over 
<i  large  surface,  as  in  the  walls  of  churches,  chapels  and 
theatres.  If  the  paint  be  applied  too  soon,  the  work  will  have 
a  blotched  appearance,  and  be  probably  filled  with  small 
vesicles,  formed  during  the  evaporation  of  the  water.  When 
the  work  is  dry,  it  may  be  prepared  by  covering  it  with  a  coat 
of  linseed  oil,  boiled  with  dryer.  This  must  be  laid  on  very 
carefully,  or  the  face  will  be  irregular.  The  color  may  then 
be  applied,  and  four  coats  will  not  be  too  much,  the  work 
being  new.  Persons  are  generally  so  anxious  to  have  their 
buildings  finished,  that  they  disregard  the  future  appearance 
of  the  work,  and  within  a  few  weeks  after  the  application  of 
the  stucco,  cover  it  with  paint.  But  it  would,  in  all  cases,  be 
sufficient  to  wash  the  surface  with  distemper,  as  it  would  give 
a  finished  appearance  to  the  building,  and  make  it  less  neces- 
sary to  hurry  the  work.  When  the  work  is  sufficiently  dry  to 
receive  the  oil-colors  the  distemper  color  should  be  removed 
by  washing,  and  when  the  stucco  is  dry  apply  the  oil-color. 
The  tints  may  be  regulated  by  mingling  different  colors,  as  in 
all  other  kinds  of  painting. 

Plastered  walls  should  not  be  painted  until  they  are 
thoroughly  dry,  and  all  settling  in  a  new  house  has  taken 
place.  If  painted  too  soon  they  will  blister. 

Unseasoned  wood  should  never  be  painted,  as  it  stops  the 
pores  of  the  wood  and  the  sap  acidulates,  causing  dry  rot. 
Greasy  surfaces  must  be  washed  with  water  mixed  with 
or  soda,  otherwise  the  paint  will  not  adhere  to  it. 


AND    PAPER-HANGERS.  45 

Mixing  Quick  Drying  Paint. — Venetian  blinds 
should  be  painted  to  dry  dead,  then  varnish ;  but  few  take 
this  trouble.  Mix  the  paint  as  under :  White  lead,  boiled 
oil,  and  the  least  drop  of  turps;  mix  sufficient  of  each  to 
form  a  creamy  mixture ;  then  add  about  i  oz.  patent  drier 
to  each  i  Ib.  of  paint.  If  you  want  the  paint  darker  use 
enough  burnt  umber  to  give  the  required  tint.  If  you  want 
to  varnish,  omit  the  oil  and  use  turps. 

Transparent  Paint  for  Glass. — Take  for  blue  pig- 
ment, Prussian  blue;  for  red,  crimson  lake;  for  yellow, 
Indian  yellow ;  and  for  other  shades,  a  mixture  of  the  appro- 
priate primary  colors.  Rub  them  in  a  size  made  as  follows : 
Venice  turpentine,  2  parts;, spirits  of  turpentine,  i  part,  and 
apply  with  a  brush.  The  colors  are  moderately  fast  unless 
exposed  too  long  to  direct  sunlight.  A  solution  of  the  vari- 
ous aniline  dyes  in  shellac  varnish  has  also  been  recom- 
m^nded. 

Gilding. — Gold  leaf  is  the  only  successful  application. 
First  put  on  a  coat  of  Japan  gold  size,  and  when  that  is 
;'  tacky,"  and  nearly  dry,  lay  on  the  gold-leaf  and  dab  it  with 
a  small  tuft  of  cotton-wool.  Where  you  buy  the  gold-leaf 
you  can  buy  a  gilder's  tool  for  applying  it ;  but  in  order  to 
get  a  smooth  surface  it  must  (when  perfectly  dry)  be  burnished 
with  an  agate  burnisher,  which  you  will  also  get  at  the  color- 
shop,  but  you  will  not  be  able  to  burnish  gold-leaf  on  the 
bare  wood.  You  can,  if  you  like,  varnish  with  pale  copal 
varnish. 

Gilding  on  Glass. — Glass  letters  are  gilt  the  same  way 
as*  you  would  a  name  on  a  glass  door.  You  can  easily  get 
a  good  burnish  if  you  take  a  little  trouble.  Get  some  of  the 
best  cotton  wool  at  a  chemist's,  and  well  polish  the  gold  with 
it ;  the  gold  must  be  thoroughly  dry.  Then  go  over  it  with 


46  HINTS    FOR   PAINTERS 

your  size  boiling  hot ;  do  not  touch  the  same  place  twice  with 
the  brush,  or  you  will  bring  the  gold  up ;  repeat  the  process 
three  or  four  times,  being  sure  to  have  your  gold  dry  each 
time,  the  hotter  the  size  the  brighter  will  be  the  burnish ;  be 
careful,  however,  and  not  break  tbe  glass  with  the  heat. 

Gilding  Fretwork,  Etc. — The  first  thing  to  be  done 
is  to  whiten  the  work.  To  do  this  scrape  some  whitening 
very  fine,  place  it  in  a  pipkin  with  a  lump  of  gilder's  size,  and 
water  sufficient  to  make  it  of  the  consistency  of  thick  cream, 
when  heated  over  a  fire ;  then,  with  a  camel-hair  pencil,  paint 
it  on  the  object  several  times,  allowing  each  coat  to  dry  be- 
fore applying  the  next.  When  the  several  coatings  have 
raised  it  to  the  thickness  of  1-16  in.,  set  it  aside  for  twelve  or 
more  hours,  to  harden ;  when  hardened,  smooth  the  surface 
with  very  fine  sandpaper  first,  and  finally  with  a  piece  of 
cork ;  when  using  the  cork  frequently  dip  it  in  water,  and, 
when  practicable,  use  it  in  a  circular  motion.  Thus  far  suc- 
cessful, the  next  thing  is  to  lay  on  the  gold.  To  gild,  then, 
dissolve  some  gilder's — not  common  size — in  water,  and  heat, 
and  with  a  full  brush  lay  it  on  the  surface  of  the  object.  Cut 
the  gold  leaf,  on  a  pad  of  buff  leather,  with  a  clean  cut  of  the 
knife  (much  easier  said  than  done ;  perseverance,  however, 
with  the  cost  of  a  book  or  two  of  gold  mutilated,  and  a  large 
amount  of  patience  exhausted,  will  overcome  the  difficulty), 
to  the  size  required ;  take  these  up  on  a  tip  (a  row  of  long 
hairs  placed  between  two  bits  of  cardboard) —the  professional 
way  to  do  this  is  to  strike  the  hair  of  the  tip  against  the 
gilder's  own  whiskers  or  hair — and  gently  lay  them  on  the 
surface  of  the  object,  taking  care  that  each  succeeding  piejce 
slightly  overlaps  the  preceding.  When  dry,  a  small  piece  of 
fine  sponge,  dipped  in  a  weak  solution  of  size  water,  should 
be  gently  passed  over  it  to  give  a  uniform  appearanc*  If 


AND    PAPER-HANGERS.  47 

the  bright  gold  requires  to  be  deadened,  deep  ormolu  should 
be  used  in  a  similar  way  after  sizing.  The  yellow  used  for 
the  ungilt  portions  consists  of  gilder's  yellow,  dissolved  in  size 
water,  and  is  put  on  with  a  brush. 

Painting  on  Gilded  Panels. — There  is  no  prepar- 
ation needed  to  paint  in  oils  on  a  gilded  panel.  No  mediums 
are  required,  the  ordinary  oil  colors  being  used  unmixed.  If 
required  to  dry  flat  and  to  remain  so,  they  are  mixed  with 
turpentine  and  left  unvarnished.  If  the  shiny  look  of  oils  is 
to  be  retained,  they  are  slightly  diluted  with  boiled  oil,  and 
varnish  with  white  hard  varnish  when  dry. 

Gilding  on  Wood. — To  gild  in  oil,  the  wood,  after  being 
properly  smoothed,  is  covered  with  a  coat  of  gold  size,  made 
of  drying  linseed  oil  mixed  with  yellow  ochre;  when  this  has 
become  so  dry  as  to  adhere  to  the  fingers  without  soiling 
them,  the  gold  leaf  is  laid  on  with  great  care  and  dexterity, 
and  pressed  down  with  cotton  wool ;  places  that  have  been 
missed  are  covered  with  small  pieces  of  gold  leaf,  and  when 
the  whole  is  dry,  the  ragged  bits  are  rubbed  off  with  cotton. 
This  is  by  far  the  easiest  mode  of  gilding ;  any  other  metallic 
leaves  may  be  applied  in  a  similar  manner.  Pale  leaf  gold 
has  a  greenish  yellow  color,  and  is  an  alloy  of  gold  with  silver. 
Dutch  gold  leaf  is  only  copper  colored  with  the  fumes  of 
zinc ;  being  much  cheaper  than  gold  leaf,  is  very  useful  when 
large  quantities  of  gilding  are  required  in  places  where  it  can 
be  defended  by  the  weather,  as  it  changes  color  if  exposed  to 
moisture,  and  it  should  be  covered  with  varnish.  Silver  leaf 
is  prepared  every  way  the  same  as  gold  leaf;  but  when  ap- 
plied, should  be  kept  well  with  varnish,  otherwise  it  is  liable 
to  tarnish ;  a  transparent  yellow  varnish  will  give  it  the  ap- 
pearance of  gold. 


48  HINTS    FOR   PAINTERS 

Whenever  gold  is  fixed  by  means  of  linseed  oil,  it  will  bear 
washing  off,  which  burnished  gold  will  not. 

To  Gild  Letters. — When  the  sign  is  prepared  as  smooth 
as  possible,  go  over  it  with  a  sizing  made  by  white  of  an  egg 
dissolved  in  about  four  times  its  weight  of  cold  water ;  add- 
ing a  small  quantity  of  fuller's  earth,  this  to  prevent  the  gold 
sticking  to  any  part  but  letters.  When  dry,  set  out  the  letters 
and  commence  writing,  laying  on  the  size  as  thinly  as  possi- 
ble, with  a  sable  pencil.  Let  it  stand  until  you  can  hardly 
feel  a  slight  stickiness,  then  go  to  work  with  your  gold  leaf 
knife  and  cushion,  and  gild  the  letters.  Take  a  leaf  upon  the 
point  of  your  knife,  after  giving  it  a  slight  \  uff  into  the  back 
part  of  your  cushion,  and  spread  it  on  the  front  part  of  it  as 
straight  as  possible,  give  it  another  slight  purl  with  your  mouth 
to  flatten  it  out.  Now  cut  it  to  the  proper  size,  cutting  with 
the  heel  of  your  knife  forwards.  Now  rub  the  tip  of  the 
knife  lightly  on  your  hair ;  take  up  the  gold  on  the  point,  and 
place  it  neatly  on  the  letters;  when  they  are  all  covered,  get 
some  very  fine  cotton  wool,  and  gently  rub  the  gold  until  it 
is  smooth  and  bright.  Then  wash  the  sign  with  clean  water 
to  take  off  the  egg  size. 

Sign  Writing  in  Colors,  Etc.— On  an  oak  ground 
ornamental  letters,  in  ultra-marine  blue,  filled  in  with  gold 
and  silver  leaf,  blocked  up  and  shaded  with  burnt  sienna. 
Another. — Gold  letters  on  a  white  marble  ground,  blocked  up 
and  shaded  with  a  transparent  brown  or  burnt  sienna.  On 
glass. — Gold  letters  shaded  with  burnt  sienna.  Another. — 
Gold  letters  shaded  with  black  on  a  scarlet  or  chocolate  ground. 
On  a  rich  blue  ground  shaded  with  black,  look  very  well.  On 
a  purple  ground,  pink  letters  shaded  with  white.  Mix  ultra- 
marine and  vermilion  for  a  ground  color,  white  letters  shaded 


AND   PAPER-HANGERS.  49 

with  grey.     Vermilion  ground,   chrome   yellow   stained   and 
vermilion  and  lake,  for  the  letters  shaded  with  black. 

A  substitute  for  the  above  colors :  Rose-pink  and  red  lead ; 
and  for  the  letters  stone  yellow,  white  lead  and  Venetian  red. 
Mix  your  colors  for  writing  in  boiled  oil,  and  use  for  dryer 
gold  size.  Other  good  grounds  for  gold  letters  are,  blues, 
vermilion,  lake  and  Saxon.  When  your  sign  is  ready  for 
gilding,  follow  the  directions  under  the  head  "  To  Gild  Letters 
011  Wood." 

Gilder's  Size. — Drying  or  boiled  linseed  oil,  thickened 
with  yellow  ochre,  or  calcined  red  ochre,  and  carefully  re- 
duced to  the  utmost  smoothness  by  grinding.  It  is  thinned 
with  oil  of  turpentine. 

Staining-  Wood  a  Dull  Black. — The  work  required 
to  be  stained  should  be  colored  with  drop-black  and  size. 
When  this  is  thoroughly  set  it  should  be  papered  off  and 
colored  again,  and  then  be  papered  off  again.  The  polish 
should  also  be  stained  with  drop  black  and  a  little  indigo. 
Next  polish  to  a  perfect  surface,  and  let  it  set.  After  the 
wood  has  absorbed  all  the  polish  possible,  polish  again,  and 
dull  it  with  the  finger  dipped  in  fine  emery;  a  fine  metallic 
surface  will  thus  be  obtained. 

Staining  Floors. — The  best  and  cheapest  and  only 
permanent  stain  for  floors  is  permanganate  of  potash.  Buy 
it  by  the  #  lb.,  and  at  a  wholesale  chemist's ;  mix  about 
i^  oz.  in  a  quart  of  water.  Apply  freely  and  quickly  to  a  dry 
floor  with  either  cloth  or  brush,  the  latter  if  you  care  for  stain- 
ing your  hand.  Repeat  the  process  for  a  very  dark  oak 
color ;  when  dry^oil  with  burnt  oil  or  beeswax  and  turpen- 
tine ;  you  cannot  wash  this  color  out.  Benson's  stain  is  only 
permanganate  of  potash.  At  first  for  a  few  moments  the 
color  is  bright  magenta,  but  this  at  once  changes  to  a  dark 


$0  HINTS    FOR   PAINTERS 

permanent  brown.     For   fifty   cents  a  whole  house  may  be 
stained. 

Varnishing  Wood. — After  smoothing  wood  with  veneer 
scraper,  brush  on  thick  coat  of  shellac  varnish ;  then  use  fine 
sandpaper,  "No.  O.  Do  this  three  times  for  close  grained 
woods,  such  as  black  cherry,  and  four  times  for  porous  wood, 
such  as  chestnut.  Have  two  dishes.  Into  one  put  finely 
ground  pumice ;  into  the  other  raw  or  boiled  oil.  Apply  a 
mixture  of  these  with  a  piece  of  hair-cloth  or  broad-cloth. 
Don't  rub  too  hard.  Finish  up  with  rotten  stone,  which  will 
remove  pumice  and  oil.  Above  is  a  good  dead  varnish. 
Another. — Take  encaustic  wax,  heat,  and  apply  with  a 
cork ;  rub  in  well,  brush  on  thin  coat  shellac  varnish,  finish 
with  pumice  and  oil. 

Solvent  for  Old  Putty  and  Paint. — Soft  soap 
mixed  with  a  solution  of  potash  or  caustic  soda,  or  pearlash 
and  slaked  lime  mixed  with  sufficient  water  to  form  a  paste. 
Either  of  these  laid  on  with  an  old  brush  or  rag,  and  left  for 
some  hours,  will  render  the  putty  or  paint  easily  removable. 
Another. — Slack  three  pounds  of  stone  quicklime  in  water, 
then  add  one  pound  of  pearlash,  and  make  the  whole 
about  the  consistence  of  paint.  Apply  it  to  both  sides  of  the 
glass,  and  let  it  remain  for  twelve  hours,  when  the  putty  will 
be  so  softened  that  the  glass  may  be  easily  taken  out  of  the 
frame.  Another. — Break  the  putty  up  in  lumps  the  size  of  a 
hen's  egg,  add  a  small  portion  of  raw  linseed  oil,  and  water 
sufficient  to  cover  the  putty,  boil  this  in  an  iron  vessel  for 
about  ten  minutes  and  stir  it  when  hot.  The  oil  will  mix 
with  the  putty,  then  pour  the  water  off  and  it  will  be  like 
fresh  made.  For  removing  hard  putty  from  a  window  sash 
take  a  piece  of  square  iron,  make  the  same  red  hot,  and  run 


AND    PAPER-HANGERS.  51 

it  along  the  putty  till  it  gets  soft.  The  putty  will  peel  off 
without  injuring  the  wood  work. 

Wash  for  Outside  Work. — For  woodwork  slake  half 
a  bushel  of  fresh  lime,  by  pouring  over  it  boiling  water  suffi- 
cient to  cover  it  4  or  5  inches  deep,  stirring  it  until  slacked ; 
add  2  Ibs.  of  sulphate  of  zinc  (white  vitrol)  dissolved  in  water. 
Add  water  enough  to  bring  all  to  the  consistency  of  thick 
whitewash  ;  it  may  be  colored  by  adding  powdered  ether,  In- 
dian red,  umber,  etc.  If  lampblack  is  added  to  colors,  it 
should  first  be  thoroughly  dissolved  in  alcohol.  The  sulphate 
of  zinc  causes  the  wash  to  become  hard  in  a  few  weeks. 

Another  for  Brick,  Masonry,  and  Rough-east. 

Slake  half  a  bushel  of  lime  as  before ;  then  fill  a  barrel  ^3 
full  of  water,  and  add  a  bushel  of  hydraulic  cement  Add 
3  Ibs.  of  sulphate  of  zinc  previously  dissolved  in  water.  The 
whole  should  be  of  the  thickness  of  paint.  The  wash  is  im- 
proved by  stirring  in  a  peck  of  white  sand,  just  before  using 
it.  It  can  be  colored  as  before  described. 

French  Polish. — Coat  with  one  or  more  coats  of 
shellac  and  rub  down  smooth  ;  make  a  rubber  by  rolling  up 
a  piece  of  flannel  about  3  or  4  inches  wide  until  it  is  about 
1^2  inches  in  diameter,  and  tie  it  round  with  cord.  Lay  the 
end  of  the  rubber  on  the  mouth  of  a  thin  necked  bottle  and 
apply  the  varnish  to  it,  having  previously  shaken  up  the  con- 
tents in  the  bottle ;  then  enclose  the  end  of  the  rubber  with  a 
piece  of  soft  linen  doubled,  and  moisten  the  face  of  the  linen 
with  a  little  raw  linseed  oil. 

Pass  the  rubber  with  a  quick,  light  and  circular  motion  over 
the  surface  until  the  varnish  becomes  dry,  or  nearly  so,  and 
charge  the  rubber  again  with  varnish  until  3  coats  have  been 
laid  on,  when  a  little  oil  may  be  applied  to  the  rubber  and 
two  more  coats  laid  on.  In  the  finishing  coat  wet  the  inside 


5^  HINTS    FOR   PAINTERS 

of  the  cloth  with  a  little  alcohol,  and  rub  quickly  and  lightly 
over  the  whole  surface.  Lastly  wet  the  linen  cloth  with  a 
little  oil  and  alcohol  without  varnish,  and  rub  as  before  until 
dry. 

The  varnish  is  the  usual  preparation  of  shellac.  See 
cabinet  maker's  varnish. 

Wood  Pilling-  Composition. — Boiled  linseed  oil,  i 
qt.;  turpentine,  3  qts.;  corn  starch,  5  Ibs.;  Japan,  i  qt.; 
calcined  magnesia,  2  oz.;  mix  thoroughly.  Another. — 
Whitening,  6  oz.;  Japan,  j£  pt;  boiled  lin-seed  oil, 
^  pt.;  turpentine,  ^  pt.;  corn  starch,  i  oz.;  mix  well  to- 
gether and  apply  to  the  wood.  Add  coloring  if  required. 
Another. — Linseed  oil,  i  qt.;  spirits  of  turpentine,  ^  pt.; 
lime,  the  size  of  a  base-ball,  broken  fine.  Let  the  mixture 
simmer  on  a  stove,  covered  over,  for  two  or  three  hours,  then 
strain  through  a  coarse  cloth.  It  is  to  remain  on  24  hours, 
then  rub  off  with  a  wollen  cloth  and  polish. 

German  Filling. — Fill  the  pores  with  raw  tallow  and 
plaster  of  Paris  well  amalgamated  before  a  fire  in  cold 
weather.  Darken,  if  required,  with  any  coloring  to  suit. 
When  well  rubbed  in  give  a  coat  of  shellac  and  French  polish 
or  varnish. 

Polish  for  Walnut  Wood. — Mix  with  two  parts  of 
good  alcoholic  shellac  varnish,  one  part  of  boiled  linseed  oil, 
shake  well,  and  apply  with  a  pad  formed  of  woolen  cloth. 
Rub  the  furniture  briskly  with  a  little  of  the  mixture  until  the 
polish  appears.  \ 

Rules  the  Painter  Should  Observe.— Never  eat 

or  sleep  without  washing  the  hands  and  face  and  rinsing  the 
mouth.  Keep  the  buckets,  brushes,  etc.,  clean,  so  that  they 
may  be  handled  without  smearing  the  hands.  Never  sleep 


AND   PAPER-HANGERS.  53 

in  a  paint  shop  nor  in  a  newly  painted  room.  Never  allow 
paint  to  accumulate  on  the  clothing  or  finger  nails.  Never 
wash  the  hands  in  turpentine,  as  it  relaxes  the  muscles  and 
injures  the  joints;  any  animal  oil  or  even  linseed  oil  is  better. 
Never  drink  water  that  has  stood  any  length  of  time  in  a 
paint  shop  or  newly  painted  room.  Never  use  spirituous 
liquors  as  it  unites  with  the  mineral  salts  and  tends  to  harden 
them  and  causes  inflammation  of  the  parts  where  they  con- 
crete. Milk,  sweet  oil  and  the  like  should  be  used  freely,  as 
they  tend  to  soften  the  accumulated  poisons  and  carry  them 
off.  Vinegar  and  acid  fruits  used  constantly,  unite. 


54  rflNTS   FOR  PAINTERS 


PAPER-HANGING. 

The  art  of  putting  on,  or  "  Hanging  "  paper  is  very  simple, 
and  is  easily  learned ;  but  to  make  a  tasteful  choice  of  paper 
for  various  situations,  is  not  so  easy,  hence  the  following  re- 
marks, which  may  be  of  service  to  the  workman  or  others  on 
whom  the  selection  of  paper  may  devolve. 

Walls  to  a  room  should  be  regarded  only  in  the  light  of  a 
frame-work  to  what  the  room  contains,  and  should  be  decor- 
ated so  as  to  bring  into  prominence  and  not  eclipse  the  other 
parts  of  the  chamber.  Nothing  destroys  the  effect  of  a  room 
so  much  as  a  handsome  but  staring  wall  paper,  or  a  wall  so 
profusely  ornamented  as  to  strike  upon  the  eye  to  the  ex- 
clusion of  the  rest  of  the  decorations,  thus  bringing  forward 
what  should  be  the  background  into  the  most  conopicuous 
place.  A  modern  drawing  room  is  always  difficult  to  decor- 
ate artistically,  because  of  the  taste  of  its  builders  Lr  heavy 
cornices,  prominent  mantelpieces,  and  rooms  too  lofty  for 
their  size  ;  and  as  all  these  misnamed  "  embellishments  "  are 
too  costly  to  remove  by  tenants,  the  only  plan  to  pursue  is  to 
destroy  their  effect  by  exercising  both  taste  and  ingenuity. 
First,  with  regard  to  the  ceiling,  the  ornamental  plaster  boss 
in  its  center  should  be  removed,  and  the  ceiling  tinted  a  color 
that  harmonizes  with  the  wall  paper,  as  no  harmonies  can  be 
hoped  for  when  what  produces  them  is  surmounted  with  the 
glaring  white  of  an  ordinary  ceiling.  The  tint  used  must  be 
one  that  softens  into  the  wall  paper,  not  one  that  contrasts  ; 
thus,  if  the  tone  of  the  room  is  that  of  a  soft  grey  blue,  the 
ceiling  should  be  a  clear  flesh  pink ;  or  should  a  grey  grel 


AND  PAPER-HANGERS.  55 

picked  out  with  black  be  the  chosen  color,  then  it  should  be 
colored  a  subdued  lemon. 

Some  people  cover  their  ceilings  with  a  whole  colored 
paper,  and  border  it  with  a  stencilled  pattern  representing  thf 
thin  garlands  so  familiar  upon  Queen  Anne  decorations,  but 
this  is  a  more  troublesome  plan  than  the  simple  coloring, 
which  answers  all  the  purpose.  The  walls,  if  they  are  lofty, 
require  a  high  dado.  These  high  dados  give  a  look  of  com- 
fort and  "  home  "  that  is  absent  from  the  modern  high  pitched 
room  papered  with  one  uniform  pattern.  The  dado  is 
divided  3  feet  to  4  feet  from  the  ceiling,  and  the  coloring  of 
the  lower  portion  must  always  be  heavier  than  that  used  on 
the  upper  or  a  top  heavy  look  will  be  given  to  the  room. 
When  many  pictures  are  to  be  hung  up  the  lower  part  of  the 
dado  should  be  of  a  whole  color,  either  a  whole  colored  paper 
or  a  painted  wall,  as  pictures  are  only  shown  off  upon  such  a 
background.  Where  a  whole  tint  is  used  for  the  lower  part 
of  the  dado,  the  upper  portion  should  be  decorated  with  a 
frieze  paper  of  a  good  bold  pattern,  but  of  subdued  coloring 
and  of  tint  that  harmonizes  with  the  lower.  Thus,  the  color 
used  about  the  frieze  should  be  the  same  as  that  on  the  lower 
part,  but  of  a  lighter  shade,  intermixed  with  some  other  colors 
that  form  a  harmonious  link  between  the  two  shades.  Con- 
trasts must  be  carefully  avoided,  but  pale  pinks,  blue  and 
ambers  can  be  blended  together  above  a  subdued  grey  blue 
ground.  The  two  portions  of  the  dado  should  be  joined 
together  with  a  light  wooden  (black  or  brown)  railing,  or  with 
a  line  of  paint. 

The  dado  decoration  can  be  altered  by  placing  the  pattern 
paper  upon  the  lower  part  and  leaving  the  upper  plain-colored 
with  or  without  a  stencilled  pattern  upon  it.  This  will  suit  a 
room  where  not  many  pictures  are  required,  or  that  is  already 
rather  dark.  Some  part  of  the  wall  should  always  be  in  plain 


56  HINTS    FOR   PAINTERS 

color,  as  the  eye  requires  rest ;  and  no  pattern,  however  sub 
dued  in  hue,  can  give  the  relief  to  the  mind  that  a  bit  of  plain 
coloring  affords,  and  this  scarcity  of  ornament  in  one  part  of 
a  room  is  amply  repaid  by  the  effect  it  gives  to  such  parts  as 
are  bright  and  should  be  bright.  The  true  theory  of  effect  is 
to  use  but  one  or  two  bright  colors  in  a  room,  and  to  sur- 
round them  by  soft  and  subdued  tints  that  throw  up  and  do 
not  destroy  their  brilliancy  ;  a  number  of  bright  colors  placed 
together  destroy  each  other,  and  leave  no  impression  upon 
the  mind  but  glare  and  vulgarity.  Having  settled  upon  your 
paper  and  ceiling,  have  the  woodwork  and  cornice  of  the 
room  painted  either  a  shade  lighter  or  darker  than  the  walls, 
and  shroud  up  the  mantelpiece  with  curtains,  etc.,  of  satin 
sheeting  embroidered  with  crewels,  and  instead  of  the  usual 
looking  glass  over  the  fire-place,  have  a  mirror  surrounded 
with  brackets  holding  china;  or  have  a  black  wooden 
mantelpiece  made  with  squares  of  looking  glass  set  in.  The 
back-ground  of  your  room  being  thus  completed  in  a  manner 
really  to  be  a  back-ground,  your  furniture  will  look  twice  as 
well  as  if  it  were  stared  out  of  countenance  by  the  walls,  and 
one  need  hardly  add  that  all  your  friends  will  delight  in  a 
room  that  throws  up  and  brings  out  their  dresses  an^  faces, 
instead  of  killing  them  by  its  glaring  tints. 

Operations. — To  prepare  the  walls,  make  a  size  of  glue 
and  water,  then  give  the  walls  a  coat  of  a  very  weak  solution 
of  the  same.  To  make  a  paste,  take  two  pounds  of  fine 
flour,  put  in  a  pail ;  add  cold  water,  and  stir  it  up  together  in 
a  thick  paste.  Take  a  piece  of  alum  about  the  size  of  a 
small  chestnut,  pound  it  fine  and  throw  it  into  the  paste ; 
mix  well.  Then  provide  about  six  quarts  of  boiling  water 
and  mix  while  hot  with  the  paste  until  the  whole  is  brought 


AND    PAPER-HANGERS.  57 

to  a  proper  consistency.     This  makes  an  excellent  paste,  and 
fit  for  use  when  cold. 

Cleaning1  Paper-Hangings. — A  very  good  method  to 
clean  paper-hangings  is  that  used  oftentimes  in  cleaning  the 
margins  of  prints.  Cut  into  eight  pieces  a  quartern  loaf  two 
days  old,  and  after  having  swept  all  the  dust  from  the  paper- 
nangings,  commence  from  the  ceiling  downward,  and  some- 
what lightly  rub  the  paper  with  a  downward  stroke  with  one 
of  the  pieces  of  bread.  Continue  this  round  the  room,  and 
then  commence  lower  down  in  the  same  way  till  the  whole 
of  the  surface  of  the  paper  has  been  gone  over.  The  bread 
will  from  time  to  time  get  dirty,  and  it  should  be  cut  off  as 
often  as  required.  Care  should  be  exercised  not  to  rub  the 
paper  with  a  cross  or  horizontal  stroke,  only  with  the  per- 
pendicular movement  of  the  hand  or  the  paper  may  peel  off 
the  walls  from  the  joints.  With  careful  manipulation,  paper 
will  look  almost  as  good  as  new. 

Varnishing  Paper-hangings. — When  papers  are 
hung  in  places  where  there  is  much  passing,  they  are  subject 
to  greater  wear  than  in  an  ordinary  room,  and  varnishing  is 
resorted  to,  to  make  them  more  durable,  as  it  prevents  soil- 
ing ;  they  may  also  be  cleaned  with  a  damp  cloth,  and  are 
not  in  wear  so  likely  to  be  damaged  by  rubbing  off  the  wall. 
Halls,  lobbies,  staircases,  and  orifices  are  sometimes  varnished 
for  durability,  but  as  a  rule  the  appearance  is  not  improved. 
The  paper  must  be  sized  twice,  the  first  being  dry  before  the 
next  is  applied,  when  the  varnish  is  laid  evenly  on.  It  is 
necessary  to  size  the  paper  twice,  as  the  first  time  may  not 
effectually  cover  it,  when  the  varnish  would  stain  the  paper  as 
badly  as  if  oil  had  been  applied.  The  size  necessary  for  siz- 
ing the  paper  before  varnishing  should  be  clean  and  trans- 
parent. Parchment  cuttings  boiled  down  in  water  and 


58  HINTS    FOR    PAINTERS 

strained  will  make  excellent  size  for  this  purpose.  Before  it 
is  cold  it  should  be  either  strained  through  calico,  or  poured 
off,  leaving  the  bits  at  the  bottom.  A  patent  size  is  sold  for 
this  purpose,  but  parchment  size  is  the  most  reliable.  U  sc 
clean  brushes  for  size  and  varnish. 

A  Paste  that  will  Keep  Well. — A  correspondent 
writes  to  a  journal  this  formula  for  anon-poisonous  paste  that 
will  keep  well  in  hot  weaJier:  Wheat  flour,  i  ounce;  pow- 
dered alum,  y2  drachm;  water,  sufficient,  or  8  ounces;  oil  of 
clove,  or  wintergreen,  3  or  4  drops.  Rub  the  flour  and  the 
alum  with  the  water  to  the  consistency  of  milk;  place  this 
over  a  moderate  fire,  and  stir  constantly,  until  the  paste  drops 
from  the  wooden  paddle  in  jelly-like  flakes,  and  has  the 
appearance  of  glycerite  of  starch.  While  the  mass  is  still  hot, 
add  the  essential  oil,  and  pour  the  paste  into  an  earthenware 
pot  or  open  jar.  In  the  course  of  about  an  hour  a  crust 
forms  on  the  top ;  pour  gently  on  this  an  inch  of  water,  more 
or  less.  When  some  paste  is  wanted,  decant  the  water,  take 
out  the  quantity  needed,  and  put  some  water  again  on  the 
remainder,  repeating  the  operation  each  time.  Paste  may  be 
kept  in  tbi*  way  for  months,  and  will  never  be  troubled  with 
flies. 


AND   PAPER-HANGERS.  59 


USEFUL   HINTS    FOR    ESTIMATING    COST 
OF   WORK   AND  MATERIALS. 

ALL  surface  painting  is  measured  by  the  superficial  yard, 
girting  every  part  of  the  work  covered,  always  making  allow- 
ance for  the  deep  cuttings  in  mouldings,  carved  work,  rail- 
ings or  other  work  that  is  difficult  to  get  at. 

Where  work  is  very  high  and  scaffolding  or  ladders  have 
to  be  employed,  allowances  must  be  made. 

The  following  rules  are  generally  adopted  in  this  country 
in  the  measurement  of  work.  Surfaces  under  six  inches  in 
width  or  girt  are  called  6  inches;  from  six  to  12  inches,  12 
inches;  over  12  inches  measured  superficial.  Openings  are 
deducted,  but  all  jambs,  reveals  or  casings  are  measured 
girt. 

Sashes  are  measured  solid  if  more  than  two  lights.  Doors, 
shutters  and  paneling  are  measured  by  the  girt,  running  the 
tape  in  all  quirks,  angles  or  corners.  Sash  doors  measure 
solid.  Glazing  in  both  windows  and  doors  is  always  extra. 
The  tape  should  be  run  close  in  over  the  battens,  on  batten 
doors,  and  if  the  stuff  is  beaded,  add  one  inch  in  width  for 
each  bead. 

Venetian  blinds  are  measured  double.  Dentels,  brackets, 
medallions,  ornamented  iron  work,  balusters,  lattice  work, 
palings  or  turned  work  should  all  be  measured  double. 
Changing  colors  on  base  boards,  panels,  cornices,  or  other 
work,  one-fourth  extra  measurement  should  be  allowed  for 
each  tint. 


60  HINTS    FOR    PAINTERS 

Add  five  per  cent,  to  regular. price  for  knotting,  puttying, 
cleaning  and  sand-papering. 

For  work  done  above  the  ground  floor  charge  as  follows : 
Add  five  per  cent,  for  each  story  of  12  feet  or  less,  if  interior 
work;  if  exterior  work,  add  one  per  cent  for  each  foot  of 
height  above  the  first  1 2  feet. 

It  is  impossible  to  give  prices  for  painting  that  will  be 
reliable  in  any  one  section  of  this  country  for  more  than  a 
month,  as  the  cost  of  materials  and  labor  is  continually  vary- 
ing, but  we  offer  the  following  hints,  which  may  assist  the 
workman  to  make  a  fairly  just  estimate  of  work : 

For  plain  colors  on  wood — 

First  coat,  per  yard,     -  $ — 

2  coats,  add     "  -    4-5 

3  coats,    "        "    -  i% 
Now,  by  this  rule,  if  the  first  coat  was  i  o  cents,  two  coats 

would  be  1 8  cents,  and  three  coats  would  be  25  cents.  This 
is  a  simple  method  and  easily  understood,  and  is  adapted  to 
any  sort  of  plain  painting  or  graining. 

Graining,  with  one  or  two  coats  of  good  varnish,  is  worth, 
at  this  writing,  from  65  cents  to  $2.00  per  yard,  and  mar- 
bling from  $1.50  to  $2.75  per  yard. 

Marbling  mantels  is  worth  from  $5.00  to  $20.00,  accord- 
ing to  style  of  marble  and  beauty  of  finish.  All  of  the  above 
prices  are  based  on  the  understanding  that  the  workman 
furnishes  all  tools  and  materials. 


Established     I87O, 

STANDARD     BOOKS 

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These  books  will  be  sent,  postpaid,  to  any  address  in  any  accessible  part  of  the 
world,  on  receipt  of  price. —  Full  Descriptive  Catalogues  may  be  had  free. —  New 
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sent  to  any  address  on  request.— Address, 

INDUSTRIAL,    PUBLICATION    CO.,  23   College  Place,  New  York. 

THE  STEEL  SQUARE  AND  ITS  USES. 

Being  a  Description  of  the  Square  and  Its  Uses  in  Obtaining  the 
Lengths  and  Bevels  of  all  kinds  of  Rafters,  Hips,  Groins,  Braces, 
Brackets,  Purlins,  Collar-Beams,  and  Jack-Rafters.  —  Also,  its 
Application  in  Obtaining  the  Bevels  and  Cuts  for  Hoppers,  Spring 
Moldings,  Octagons,  Stairs,  Diminished  Stiles,  &c. —  By  FRED.  T. 
HODGSON,  author  of  "Practical  Carpentry,"  "The  Builders'  Guide," 
&c.— Third  Edition,  Revised  and  Greatly  Enlarged.— Illustrated 
by  Nearly  One  Hundred  Fine  Engravings. —  Cloth,  gilt.  .  .  $1 

This  is  the  only  practical  work  on  the  steel  square  and  its  uses  ever  published. 
It  is  thorough,  accurate,  clear,  and  easily  understood.  Confounding  terms  and 
scientific  phrases  have  been  religiously  avoided  where  possible ;  and  everything  in 
the  book  has  been  made  so  plain  that  a  boy  of  twelve  years  of  age,  possessing 
ordinary  intelligence,  can  understand  it  from  end  to  end. 

This  new  edition,  just  issued,  is  illustrated  by  nearly  one  hundred  handsome 
engravings,  showing  how  the  square  may  be  used  for  solving  nearly  every  problem 
in  the  whole  art  of  carpentry.  The  carpenter  who  possesses  this  book  need  not 
waste  time  and  material  "  cutting  and  trying."  He  can  lay  out  his  work  to  a  hair's 
breadth,  and  "cut  to  the  line."  And,  in  these  days,  the  workman  who  can  not  lay 
out  his  work  accurately  at  the  first  attempt  stands  no  show. 

The  book  is  absolutely  indispensable  to  every  person  who  may  have  to  use  a 
carpenter's  square.  Joiners,  cabinet-makers,  bricklayers,  stonecutters,  plasterers, 
lumber-dealers,  amateurs,  and  all  who  build  a  fence,  tinker  a  gate,  or  make  a 
chicken-coop  will  find  something  in  this  little  volume  that  will  help  and  aid  them 
to  do  their  work  better  and  more  intelligently  than  they  could  without  a  knowledge 
of  its  contents. 

Many  difficult  and  troublesome  mathematical  problems  can  be  solved  by  the  use 
of  this  tool,  and  the  methods  of  solving  them  are  shown  in  this  book.  It  describes 
how  painting,  plastering,  and  brickwork  can  be  measured,  and  how  many  mechan- 
ical difficulties  can  be  overcome  with  great  ease.  It  explains  how  ellipses,  parabolas, 
octagons,  circles,  and  many  other  figures,  may  be  described  by  the  steel  square. 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  this  dollar  book  will  easily  enable  any  intelligent  mechanic 
to  save  ten  dollars  jn  time  and  material  during  the  first  three  months  that  he  has 
it  in  use, 


CATALOGUE    OF  INDUSTRIAL  BOOKS. 

STEEL  SQUARES  AND  THEIR  USES. 

Being  a  Description  of  the  Various  Steel  Squares  and  Their  Uses 
in  Solving  a  large  number  of  Mechanical  Problems  in  Constructive 
Carpentry,  Joinery,  Sheet-metal  Work,  Cut-stone  or  Brick-work. 
Also,  showing  how  many  Geometrical  and  other  Problems  inay  be 
solved  by  the  use  of  the  Steel  Square. —  By  FRED.  T.  HODGSON, 
author  of  ''The  Steel  Square  and  Its  Uses,"  "The  Slide-Rule,  and 
Its  Uses,"  "Practical  Carpentry,"  "The  Builders' Guide,"  &c.— 
Finely  Illustrated.— Cloth $1 

This  forms  Part  II  of  "  The  Steel  Square  and  Its  Uses,"  and  is  not  in  any  sense 
a  substitute  for  the  First  Part,  which  still  remains  what  it  always  has  been — a  neces- 
sity to  every  intelligent  workman.  Part  II  is  an  extension  and  enlargement  of  the 
First  Part,  giving  new  problems,  new  methods,  and  new  wrinkles  for  shortening 
the  labor  and  increasing  the  accuracy  of  the  workman.  It  is  illustrated  in  the 
same  handsome  manner  which  characterizes  the  First  Part,  to  which  it  forms  a 
companion  volume. 

With  these  two  volumes  in  his  possession  the  workman  has  at  command  the 
entire  practical  mathematics  of  construction,  and  is  prepared  to  lay  out  any  piece  of 
work  more  easily,  quickly,  and  accurately  than  it  can  be  done  by  any  other  method. 

PRACTICAL    CARPENTRY. 

Being  a  Guide  to  the  Correct  Working  and  Laying-out  of  all  kinds 
of  Carpenters'  and  Joiners'  Work,  with  the  Solutions  of  the  Various 
Problems  in  Hip-Roofs,  Gothic  Work,  Centering,  Splayed  Work, 
Joints  and  Jointing,  Hingeing,  Dovetailing,  Mitering,  Timber- 
Splicing,  Hopper-work,  Skylights,  Raking  Moldings,  Circular 
Work,  &c. —  To  which  is  prefixed  a  thorough  treatise  on  "Car- 
penters' Geometry." — By  FRED.  T.  HODGSON,  author  of  "The 
Steel  Square  and  Its  Uses,"  "  The  Slide-Rule,  and  How  to  Use  It," 
"The  Builders'  Guide,"  &c. —  Illustrated  by  over  Three  Hundred 

Engravings. —  Cloth,  gilt $1 

This  is  the  most  thorough  book  of  the  kind  ever  published.  It  is  thorough, 

practical,  and  reliable ;  and  at  the  same  time  is  written  in  a  style  so  plain  that  any 

workman  or  apprentice  can  easily  understand  it. 

STAIR-BUILDING     MADE     EASY. 

Being  a  Full  and  Clear  Description  of  the  Art  of  Building  the 
Bodies,  Carriages,  and  Cases  for  all  kinds  of  Stairs  and  Steps. — 
Together  with  Illustrations  Showing  the  Manner  of  Laying  Out 
Stairs,  forming  Treads  and  Risers,  building  Cylinders,  preparing 
Strings;  with  Instructions  for  making  Carriages  for  Common, 
Platform,  Dog-legged,  and  Winding  Stairs. —  To  which  is  added  an 
Illustrated  Glossary  of  Terms  used  in  Stair-Building,  and  Designs 
for  Newels,  Balusters,  Brackets,  Stair-Moldings,  and  Sections  of 
Hand-Rails. —  By  FRED.  T.  HODGSON,  author  of  "The  Steel  Square 
and  Its  Uses,"  &c.— Illustrated  by  over  One  Hundred  and  Twenty 
Engravings,  many  of  them  full-page  size.—  Cloth,  gilt.  ...  $1 
This  work  takes  hold  at  the  very  beginning  of  the  subject,  and  carries  the 
student  along  by  easy  stages  until  the  entire  subject  of  stairbuilding  has  been  un- 
folded, so  far  as  ordinary  practice  can  ever  require.  This  book,  and  the  following 
one  on  Hand-Railing,  cover  nearly  the  whole  subject  of  Stair- Building. 


CATALOGUE    OF  INDUSTRIAL  BOOKS. 

A    NEW    SYSTEM     OF    HAND-RAILING. 

Or,  How  to  Cut  Hand-Railing  for  Circular  and  other  Stairs,  square 
from  the  Plank,  without  the  aid  of  a  Falling  Mould.— By  AN 
OLD  STAIRBUILDER.— Edited  and  corrected  by  FRED.  T.  HODGSON, 
author  of  "Stair-building  Made  Easy,"  &c.— Cloth,  gilt.  .  .  $1 
The  system  is  new,  novel,  economic,  and  easily  learned.  Rules,  instructions, 
and  working  drawings  for  building  rails  for  seven  different  kinds  of  stairs  are  given. 

THE   BUILDERS1  GUIDE,  and  Estimators' Price-Book. 

Being  a  Compilation  of  Current  Prices  of  Lumber,  Hardware, 
Glass,  Plumbers'  Supplies,  Paints,  Slates,  Stones,  Limes,  Cements, 
Bricks,  Tin,  and  other  Building  Materials.  Also,  Prices  of  Labor 
and  Cost  of  Performing  the  Several  Kinds  of  Work  Required  in 
Building;  together  with  Prices  of  Doors,  Frames,  Sashes,  Stairs, 
Moldings,  Newels,  and  other  Machine-work. —  To  which  is  ap- 
pended a  large  number  of  Building  Rules,  Data,  Tables,  and 
Useful  Memoranda,  with  a  Glossary  of  Architectural  and  Building 
Terms. —  By  FRED.  T.  HODGSON,  author  of  "The  Steel  Square  and 
Its  Uses,"  "The  Slide-Rule,  and  How  to  Use  It,"  "Practical  Car- 
pentry," &c.— Cloth $2 

CARPENTERS'  and  JOINERS'  POCKET  COMPANION 

Containing  Rules,  Data,  and  Directions  for  Laying  Out  Work,  and 
for  Calculating  and  Estimating. — With  Frontispiece  showing  the 
parts  of  an  Architectural  Column;  also  containing  many  other 
Illustrative  Engravings. —  Compiled  by  THOMAS  MOLONEY,  Car- 
penter and  Joiner. —  Cloth 50  cents. 

This  is  a  compact  and  handy  little  volume,  containing  the  most  useful  rules  and 
memoranda,  practically  tested  by  many  years'  experience  in  the  shop,  factory,  and 
building.  Also,  a  treatise  on  the  framing-square.  It  is  by  a  thoroughly  pr.-icticnl 
man,  and  contains  enough  that  is  not  easily  found  any  whei'e  else  to  make  it  worth 
more  than  its  price  to  every  intelligent  carpenter. 

EASY     LESSONS     IN     ARCHITECTURE. 

Consisting  of  a  Series  of  Questions  and  Answers  explaining  in 
Si  in  [tie  Language  the  Principles  and  Progress  of  Architecture 
i'rom  the  Earliest  Times. —  By  THOMAS  MITCHELL. —  Illustrated  by 
nearly  One  Hundred  and  Fifty  Engravings.— New  Edition,  with 

American  additions. — Cloth 30  cents. 

Architecture  is  not  only  a  profession  and  an  art,  but  an  important  branch  of 
every  liberal  education.  No  person  can  be  said  to  be  well  educated  who  has  not 
some  knowledge  of  its  general  pi'inciples  and  of  the  characteristics  of  the  different 
styles.  The  present  work  is  probably  the  best  architectural  textbook  for  beginners 
ever  published.  The  numerous  illustrative  engravings  make  the  subject  very  simple, 
and  prevent  all  misunderstanding.  It  tells  all  about  the  different  styles,  their  pecu- 
liar features,  their  origin,  and  the  principles  that  underlie  Iheir  construction. 

HINTS     AND     AIDS     TO     BUILDERS. 

Gives  hints  and  prices,  tells  how  to  measure,  explains  building 
terms,  and,  in  short,  contains  a  fund  of  information  for  all  who  are 
interested  in  building.— Paper 25  cents. 


CATALOGUE    OF  INDUSTRIAL   It 00 A' ft. 

BUCK'S    COTTAGE    AND    OTHER    DESIGNS. 

Buck's  Designs  in  Architecture,  showing  a  Variety  of  Designs, 
together  with  a  large  amount  of  Miscellaneous  Matter,  making  it 
a  very  valuable  book. —  Forty  designs  for  fifty  cents. 
Just  the  book  you  want,  if  you  are  going  to  build  a  cheap  and  comfortable  home. 
It  shows  a  great  variety  of  cheap  and  medium-priced  cottages,  besides  giving  a 
number  of  useful  hints  and  suggestions  on  the  various  questions  liable  to  arise  in 
building,   such  as  selections  of  site,  general   arrangement  of  the  plans,   sanatary 
questions,  &c.     Cottages  costing  from  $300  to  $5,000  are  shown  in  considerable  va- 
riety, and  nearly  every  taste  can  be  satisfied. 

The  information  on  site,  general  arrangement  of  plan,  sanatary  matters,  &c.,  is 
worth  a  great  denl  moi-e  than  the  cost  of  the  book. 

WATER-CLOSETS.— A  Historical,  Mechanical,  and   Sanatary 
Treatise.— By   GLENN    BROWN,    Architect;    Associate    American 
Institute  of  Architects. —  Neatly  bound  in  cloth,  gilt  title.     .     $1 
This  book  contains  over  250  engravings,  drawn  expressly  for  the  work  by  Ihe 
author.     The  drawings  are  so  clear  that  the  distinctive  features  of  every  device  arc 
easily  seen  at  a  glance,  and  the  descriptions  are  particularly  full  and  thorough.    Every 
known  water-closet  is  fully  described,  and  an  account  given  of  its  qualities,  advan- 
tages, and  defects.     The  paramount  importance  of  this  department  of  the  construc- 
tion of  our  houses  renders  all  comment  upon  the  value  of  such  a  work  unnecessary. 

PLASTER:  HOW  TO  MAKE  AND  HOW  TO  USE. 

Being  a  Complete  Guide  for  the  Plasterer  in  the  Preparation  and 
Application  of  all  kinds  of  Plaster.  Stucco,  Portland  Cement, 
Hydraulic  Cements,  Lime  of  Tiel,  Rosendale  and  other  Cements. 
With  Useful  and  Practical  Information  on  the  Chemistry,Qualities, 
and  Uses  of  the  Various  Kinds  of  Limes  and  Cements. — Together 
with  Rules  for  Measuring,  Computing,  and  Valuing  Plaster  and 
Stucco  Work. —  To  which  is  appended  an  Illustrated  Glossary  of 
Terms  used  in  Plastering,  &c. —  By  FRED.  T.  HODGSON,  author  of 
"The  Builders'  Guide,  and  Estimators'  Price-Book,"  " Practical 

Carpentry,"  &c.— Cloth,  gilt $] 

This  work  is  illustrated  with  numerous  engravings  in  the  text,  and  three  plates, 
giving  some  forty  figures  of  ceilings,  center-pieces,  cornices,  panels,  and  soffits.  It 
is  an  invaluable  book  for  plasterers,  bricklayers,  masons,  builders,  architects,  and 
engineers. 

HANDSAWS:    THEIR     USE,  CARE,  AND    ABUSE. 

How  to  Select  and  How  to  File  Them. —  Being  a  Complete  Guide 
for  Selecting,  Using,  and  Filing  all  kinds  of  Handsaws,  Backsaws, 
Compass  and  Keyhole  Saws;  Web,  Hack,  and  Butchers'  Saws; 
Showing  the  Shapes,  Forms,  Angles,  Pitches,  and  Sizes  of  Saw- 
' teeth  suitable  for  all  kinds  of  Saws,  and  for  all  kinds  of  Wood. 
Bone,  Ivory,  and  Metal.— Together  with  Hints  and  Suggestions 
on  the  Choice  of  Files,  Saw-sets,  Filing-clamps,  and  other  matters 
pertaining  to  the  Care  and  Management  of  all  classes  of  Hand 
and  other  Small  Saws.— By  FRED.  T.  HODGSON,  author  of  "The 
Steel  Square  and  Its  Uses,"  ."  The  Slide-Rule,  and  How  to  Use  It," 
"The  Builders'  Guide,"  "Practical  Carpentry,"  &c.— Illustrated 

by  over  Seventy-five  Engravings. —  Cloth,  gilt $1 

This  work  is  intended  more  particularly  for  operative  carpenters,  joiners,  cab- 
inet-makers, carriage-builders,  and  woodworkei's  generally, amateurs  or  professionals. 


CATALOGUE    OF  INDUSTRIAL  BOOKS. 

THE     PRACTICAL     UPHOLSTERER. 

Giving  Clear  Directions  for  Skillfully  Performing  all  kinds  of 
Upholsterers'  Work  in  Leather,  Silk,  Plush,  Reps,  Cottons,  Vel- 
vets, and  Carpetings. — Also,  for  Stuffing,  Embossing,  Welting, 
and  Covering  all  kinds  of  Mattresses,  &c. —  Rules  for  Measuring 
Valances,  Curtains,  Tapestry,  Window  and  Door  Drapery,  Curtain 
Rods,  Persian  Beds,  Mantel  Drapery,  Lambrequins,  'Cushions, 
Floor-Cloths,  Festoon  Blinds  and  Curtain-Hangings,  and  all  kinds 
of  Upholstery. —  Fully  Illustrated  with  Engravings  of  Tools. 
Sketches  of  Furniture,  and  numerous  full-page  Illustrations  of 
Original  Decorative  Designs. —  By  A  PRACTICAL  UPHOLSTERER. 
12mo,  cloth $1 

This  work  contains  a  number  of  original  designs  in  drapery  and  upholstery, 
with  full  explanatory  text,  and  an  immense  number  of  working  illustrations.  It 
gives  a  description  of  tools,  appliances,  and  materials.  It  tells  how  to  upholster 
chairs,  parlor  furniture,  bedroom  furniture,  &c.  fit  contains  rules  for  cutting  bed- 
hangings,  window-curtains,  door-hangings,  blinds,  and  for  measuring  and  cutting 
carpets.  It  gives  arithmetical  calculations  for  cutting  carpets,  curtains,  &c.,  mantle- 
board  drapery,  festoons,  and,  in  short,  everything  pertaining  to  upholstery. 

There  is  nothing  published  in  this  country  that  is  so  thorough  and  complete  in 
the  instructions  given  for  upholstering,  as  this  book.  It  is  invaluable  alike  to  the 
practical  workman  and  the  amateur. 

CABINET-MAKING,    UPHOLSTERING,    FURNITURE. 

Hints  and  Practical  Information  for  Cabinet-makers,  Upholsterers, 
and  Furniture-men  Generally. — Together  with  a  Description  of  all 
kinds  of  Finishing,  with  Full  Directions  Therefor;  Varnishes, 
Polishes,  Stains  for  Wood,  Dyes  for  Wood,  Gilding  and  Silvering, 
Recipes  for  the  Factory,  Lacquers,  Metals,  Marbles,  &c.;  Pictures, 
Engravings,  &c. —  Cloth,  gilt $1 

This  book  contains  an  immense  amount  of  the  most  useful  information  for 
those  who  are  engaged  in  the  manufacture,  superintendence,  or  construction  of 
furniture  or  woodwork  of  any  kind.  It  is  one  of  the  cheapest  and  best  books  ever 
published,  and  contains  over  one  thousand  hints,  suggestions,  and  methods;  and 
descriptions  of  tools,  appliances,  and  materials.  All  the  recipes,  rules,  and  directions 
have  been  carefully  revised  and  corrected  by  practical  men  of  great  experience,  so 
that  they  will  be  found  thoroughly  trustworthy.  It  contains  many  of  the  recipes 
recently  sold  at  from  $5  to  $500. 

fiTi      WORKSHOP      COMPANION-Part    I. 

A  Collection  of  Useful  and  Reliable  Recipes,  Rules,  Processes, 
Methods,  Wrinkles,  and  Practical  Hints,  for  the  Household  and 

the   Shop Paper,  35  cents.— Cloth,  gilt  title,  60  cents. 

This  is  a  book  of  164  closely  printed  pages,  forming  a  dictionary  of  practical 
information  for  mechanics,  amateurs,  housekeepers,  farmers, —  everybody.  It  is 
not  a  mei-e  collection  of  newspaper  clippings,  but  a  series  of  original  treatises  on 
various  subjects,  such  as  alloys,  cements,  inks,  steel,  signal-lights,  polishing  mate- 
rials, and  the  art  of  polishing  wood,  metals,  &c,.;  varnishing,  gilding,  silvering,  bronz- 
;ng,  lacquering,  and  the  working  of  brass,  ivory,  alabaster,  iron,  steel,  glass,  &c. 


CATALOGUE    OF  INDUSTRIAL  BOOKS. 


THE      WORKSHOP      COMPANION.-Part     II. 

A  Collection  of  Useful  and  Reliable  Recipes,  Rules,  Processes, 
Methods,  Wrinkles,  and  Practical  Hints,  for  the  Household  and 

the   Shop Paper,  35  cents. —  Cloth,  gilt  title,  CO  cents. 

This  is  an  extension  of  the  fh-st  part,  and  contains  subjects  which  have  not  been 
discussed  in  the  earlier  volume.  These  two  volumes  contain  an  immense  amount 
of  practical  instruction  on  matters  in  regard  to  which  information  is  constantly 
desired  by  amateurs  and  practical  men. 

THE    PRACTICAL    ASSISTANT,  AND    WORKSHOP 

COMPANION.— A  Treasury  of  Useful  Information  relating 
to  the  Arts  and  Sciences  of  everyday  life. — Containing  Useful 
and  Reliable  Processes,  Recipes,  Wrinkles,  Methods,  Rules,  Data, 
Tables;  and  Hints  for  the  Factory  and  the  Household,  the  Shop 
and  the  Farm.—  Edited  by  JOHN  PHIN.— Clotji, $1 

This  is  Parts  I  and  II  of  "The  Workshop  Companion,"  described  above,  hand- 
somely bound  together  in  cloth,  with  gilt  title. 

THE    AMATEURS'     HANDBOOK    OF    PRACTICAL 
INFORMATION,  for  the  Workshop  and  Laboratory. 

Second  Edition. —  Greatly  Enlarged. —  Neatly  bound.  .  .  15  cents. 

This  is  a  handy  little  book,  containing  just  the  information  needed  by  amateurs 
In  the  workshop  and  laboratory.  Directions  for  making  alloys,  fusible  metals, 
cements,  glues,  &c.;  and  for  soldering,  brazing,  lacquering,  bronzing,  staining  and 
polishing  wood,  tempering  tools,  cutting  and  working  glass,  varnishing,  silvering, 
gilding,  preparing  skins,  &c.  The  new  edition  contains  extended  directions  for 
preparing  polishing  powders,  freezing  mixtures,  colored  lights  for  tableaux,  solu- 
tions for  rendering  ladies'  dresses  incombustible,  &c.  There  has  also  been  added 
a  very  large  number  of  new  and  valuable  recipes. 

The  Workshop  Companion,  Part  I,  above  described,  contains  all  the  matter 
that  is  to  be  found  in  "The  Amateurs'  Handbook." 

MECHANICAL     DRAUGHTINO. 

The  Student's  Illustrated  Guide  to  Practical  Draughting. — A  series 
of  Practical  Instructions  for  Machinists,  Mechanics,  Apprentices, 
and  Students  at  Engineering  Establishments  and  Technical  In- 
stitutes.—  By  T.  P.  PEMBERTON,   Draughtsman    and   Mechanical 
Engineer.— illustrated  by  numerous  engravings.— Cloth,  gilt.     $1 
This  is  a  simple  but  thorough  book,  by  a  draughtsman  of  twenty-five  years' 
experience.     It  is  intended  for  beginners  and  self-taught  students,  as  well  as  for 
those  who  pursue  the  study  under  the  direction  of  a  teacher. 

DRAWING     INSTRUMENTS. 

Being  a  Treatise  on  Draughting  Instruments,  with  Rules  for  their 
Use  and  Care;  Explanations  of  Scales,  Sectors,  and  Protractors. 
Together  with  Memoranda  for  Draughtsmen;  Hints  on  Purchasing 
Instruments,  Paper,  Ink,  Pencils,  &c.  Also,  a  Price-list  of  all  Mate- 
rials required  by  Draughtsmen. —  Illustrated  with  twenty-four  Explan- 
atory Illustrations. —  By  FRED.  T.  HODGSON. —  Paper.  ...  25  cents. 


CATALOGUE    OF  INDUSTRIAL  BOOKS. 
THE     SLIDE-RULE,  AND    HOW    TO    USE    IT. 

Being  a  Compilation  of  Explanations,  Rules,  and  Instructions, 
suitable  for  Mechanics  and  others  interested  in  the  Industrial 
Arts. —  Compiled  and  arranged  by  FRED.  T.  HODGSON. — 25  cents. 

Rules  are  given  for  the  measurement  of  all  kinds  of  boards  and  planks,  timber 
in  the  round  or  square,  glaziers'  work  and  painting,  brickwork,  paviors'  work,  tiling 
and  slating,  the  measurement  of  vessels  of  various  shapes,  the  wedge,  inclined  planes, 
wheels  and  axles,  levers,  the  weighing  and  measurement  of  metals  and  all  solid 
bodies,  cylinders,  cones,  globes,  octagon  rules  and  formulae,  th«  measurement  of 
circles,  and  a  comparison  of  French  and  English  measures, with  much  other  informa- 
tion useful  to  builders,  carpenters,  bricklayers,  glaziers,  paviors,  slaters,  machinists, 
and  other  mechanics. 

Possessed  of  this  little  book  and  a  good  slide-rule,  mechanics  might  cany  in 
their  pockets  some  hundreds  of  times  the  power  of  calculation  that  they  now  have 
in  their  heads,  and  the  use  of  the  instrument  is  very  easily  acquired. 

THE  ENGINEER'S  SLIDE-RULE,  and  Its  Applications. 

A  Complete  Investigation  of  the  Principles  upon  which  the  Slide- 
Rule  is  constructed;  together  with  the  Method  of  its  Application 
to  all  the  Purposes  of  the  Practical  Mechanic. —  By  WILLIAM 
TONKES. —  Paper 25  cents. 

THE     LIGHTNING     CALCULATOR. 

Practical  Hints  on  Lightning  Calculating. — To  which  are  added 
Rules,  Tables,  Data,  Formulae,  and  Memoranda,  for  making  rapidly 
those  everyday  calculations  that  are  required  in  business,  mechan- 
ics, and  agriculture. —  Paper 20  cents. 

A     CENTURY     OF     INVENTIONS. 

An  exact  reprint  of  the  famous  ''Century  of  Inventions", of  the 
Marquis  of  Worcester  (first  published  in  1663). — With  an  Intro- 
duction, Notes,  and  a  Life  of  the  Author. — With  Portrait  after  a 
Painting  by  Van  Dyke. —  Edited  by  JOHN  PHIN.—  Cloth.  .  .  .  $1 

This  is  one  of  the  most  extraordinary  books  ever  published.  The  famous 
"Centuiy  of  Inventions"  is  of  more  than  mere  historical  interest.  It  contains  nu- 
merous hints  and  suggestions  of  what  might  be  accomplished,  and  will  be  found  of 
great  interest  and  value  to  every  one  interested  in  mechanics.  Many  persons  claim 
that  the  Marquis  of  Worcester  anticipated  many  of  our  most  important  modern 
inventions  and  discoveries.  Great  care  has  been  taken  to  reproduce  exactly  (so  far 
as  modern  type,  &c.,  could  do  it)  the  edition  published  by  the  Marquis  himself.  It 
has  been  entirely  out  of  print  for  many  years. 

THE       ELECTRICIAN'S       POCKET      COMPANION. 

Electrical  Rules,  Tables,  Tests,  and  Formulae. —  By  ANDREW 
JAMIESON,  C.E.,  F.R.S.E.— Fully  illustrated.— Cloth.  ...  75  cents. 

This  is  the  most  compact  and  thorough  work  in  the  market  for  the  practical 
electrician.  It  contains  minute  directions  for  all  calculations,  tests,  &c.,  witli  clear 
engravings  of  the  apparatus  employed.  The  following  list  of  contents  will  give  an 
idea  of  its  scope: — 

Formulae  of  the  Absolute  Units, — Practical,  Electrical,  and  Mechanical. 

Heat  and  Light  Units. 

Electro-chemical  Equivalents,  Electrolysis,  Heat  and  Energy  of  Combustion. 

Practical  Methods  of  Electrical  Measurements. 

Electric  Conductors:   Copper,  &o. —  Insulators:   Guttapercha,  &c. 

Submarine   Cables. —  Aerial   Land-lines. 

Electric  Lighting,  and  Trans  mission  of  Power. 


CATALOGUE    OF  IM)VSTIUAL  BOOKS. 

LECTURES  IN  A  WORKSHOP.-By  T.  P.  PEMBERTON, 
formerly  Associate  Editor  of  The  Tcchuoloyixt;  author  of  "The 
Student's  Illustrated  Guide  to  Practical  Draughting."  —  With  an 
Appendix  containing  the  famous  papers  by  Whitvvorth  "On  Plane 
Metallic  Surfaces  of  True  Planes";  "On  the  Uniform  System  of 
Screw-Threads";  "Address  to  the  Institution  of  Mechanical  En- 
gineers, Glasgow";  "On  Standard  Decimal  Measures  of  Length." 
Cloth,  gilt  ....................  $1 


We  have  here'a  sprightly,  fascinating  book,  full  of  valuable  hints,  interesting 
cdotes,  and  sharp  sayings.     It  is  not  a  compilation  of  dull  sermons  or  dry  math- 
ematics, but  a  live,  readable  book.     The  papers  by  Whitworth,  now  firs't  made 


readily  accessible  to  the  American  reader,  form  the  basis  of  our  modern  systems  of 
accurate  work. 

THE     NEW     POCKET     CYCLOPEDIA. 

A  Compendium  of  General   Knowledge,  Useful   and  Interesting 
Facts,  Valuable   Statistics,    and  Practical   Information.  —  IGrno., 
cloth  ...................     50  cents. 

This  is  a  handy  volume  of  164  pages,  printed  in  small  but  clear  type  on  very  fine 
thin  paper,  so  that  the  book  may  be  readily  carried  in  the  pocket  or  trunk.  It  con- 
tains all  those  facts  and  figures  which  are  most  commonly  referred  to  in  everyday 
life,  great  care  being  taken  to  secure  accuracy  and  clearness.  It  is  not  a  collection 
of  "curious  information"  made  up  from  newspaper  clippings,  but  a  thoroughly 
arranged  manual  of  the  most  useful  general  knowledge. 

HOW    TO     BECOME    A    GOOD     MECHANIC. 

Intended  as  a  Practical  Guide  to  Self-taught  Men:  Telling  What 

to  Study;  What  Books  to  Use;  How  to  Begin;  What  Difficulties 

will  be  met;  How  to  Overcome  Them.     In  a  word,  how  to  carry 

on   such  a  course   of  self-instruction  as  \vill   enable  the  young 

mechanic  to  rise  from  the  bench  to  something  higher.  —  Paper,  ]5c. 

This  is  not  a  book  of  "goody-goody"  advice,  neither  is  it  aii  advertisement  of 

any  special  system,  nor  does  it  advocate  any  hobby.     It  gives  plain  practical  advice 

in  regard  to  acquiring  that  knowledge  which  alone  can  enable  a  young  man  engaged 

in  any  profession  or  occupation  connected  with  the  industrial  arts  to  attain  a  po- 

sition higher  than  that  of  a  mere  workman. 

CEMENTS,    GLUE,    AND     PASTE. 

A  Practical  Treatise  on  the  Preparation  and  Use  of  all  kinds  of 
Cements,  Glue,  and  Paste.  —  By  JOHN  PHIN,  author  of  "How  to 
Use  the  Microscope."—  Paper  ..........     25  cents. 

Every  mechanic  and  householder  will  find  this  volume  of  almost  every-day  use. 

.t  contains  nearly  two  hundred  recipes  for  the  preparation  of  cements  for  almost 

.very  conceivable  purpose. 

HINTS      FOR      PAINTERS,     DECORATORS,     AND 
PAPER-HANGERS. 

Being  a  Selection  of  Useful  Rules,  Data,  Memoranda,  Methods, 
and  Suggestions  for  House.  Ship,  and  Furniture  Painting;  Paper- 
Hanging,  Gilding,  Color-Mixing,  and  other  matters  useful  and 
instructive  to  painters  and  decorators.  —  Prepared  with  special 
reference  to  the  wants  of  amateurs.  —  By  AN  OLD  HAND.  — 
Paper  ...................  25  cents. 


CATALOGUE    OF  INDUSTRIAL  BOOKS. 

THE     HARDWOOD     FINISHER: 

With  Rules  and  Directions  for  finishing  in  Natural  Colors,  and  in 
Antique,  Mahogany,  Cherry,  Birch,  Walnut,  Oak,  Ash,  Redwood, 
Sycamore,  Pine,  and  all  other  Domestic  Woods.  Finishing,  Filling, 
Staining,  Varnishing,  and  Polishing.  Also,  Miscellaneous  Rules 
for  Dyeing,  Gilding,  and  Bronzing.— Compiled  and  Edited  by 
FRED.  T.  HODGSON,  late  Editor  of  Tlte  Builder  and  Woodworker, 
and  of  The  Cabinetmaker  and  Upholsterer. —  32mo,  cloth.  .  .  $1 

In  this  country  the  art  of  using  wood  for  almost  every  pin-pose  has  gone  far 
beyond  anything  that  has  ever  been  attempted  by  any  other  people.  The  modern 
houses  of  the  Americans  are  finished  with  a  richness  and  beauty  in  the  woodwork 
of  which  our  fathers,  not  to  speak  of  our  grandfathers,  had  little  idea.  The  car- 

S  enter,  builder,  or  painter  who  does  not  fully  understand   the  best  methods  of 
nishiug  the  hard  woods  so  as  to  preserve  and  increase  their  beauty  is  behind  the 
times.    The  object  of  this  book  is  to  aid  him  in  acquiring  the  knowledge  necessary 
to  this  end;   and  the  author  has  certainly  succeeded  in  producing  an  exhaustive 
treatise  on  the  subject. 

THE     ENGINEER'S     HANDY-BOOK: 

Containing  a  series  of  Useful  Calculations  for  Engineers,  Tool- 
makers,  Millwrights,  Draughtsmen,  Foremen  in  Engineering  Es- 
tablishments, and  for  the  better  class  of  Mechanics  and  Artizans 
generally.  Also,  Rules  to  determine  the  Proportion  of  Wheels  for 
Screw-cutting  by  a  Lathe,  &c. —  From  the  fifth  London  edition, 
with  American  additions. —  32mo,  cloth 50  cents. 

PLAIN    DIRECTIONS    FOR    THE 

CONSTRUCTION  AND  ERECTION  of  LIGHTNING- 
RODS. —  By  JOHN  PHIN,  C.E.,  author  of  "Chemical  History  of 
the  Six  "Days  of  Creation,"  "How  to  Use  the  Microscope,"  &c. 
Enlarged  and  fully  illustrated. —  Third  edition. —  12mo,  cloth, 
gilt  title ' 75  cents. 

This  is  a  well-known  and  standard  work.  It  is  simple  and  practical,  intended 
to  convey  just  such  information  as  will  enable  every  property-owner  to  decide 
whether  or  not  his  buildings  are  thoroughly  protected.  It  is  the  only  book  on  this 
subject  published  in  this  country  that  has  not  been  written  in  the  interest  of  some 
patent  or  some  manufacturing  concern.  By  following  its  directions  any  ordinarily 
skillful  mechanic  can  put  up  a  rod  that  will  afford  perfect  protection,  and  that  will 
not  infringe  on  any  patent.  Every  owner  of  a  house  or  barn  ought  to  procure  a  copy. 

TRADE    "SECRETS"    AND      PRIVATE      RECIPES. 

A  Collection  of  Recipes,  Processes,  and  Formulas  that  have  been 
offered  for  sale  at  prices  varying  from  25  cents  to  $500.  With 
Notes,  Corrections,  Additions,  and  Special  Hints  for  Improve- 
ments.—  Edited  by  JOHN  PHIN,  assisted  by  an  experienced  and 
skillful  pharmacist. —  Cloth,  gilt  title 60  cents. 

This  work  was  prepared  by  the  author  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  and  pre- 
senting in  a  compact  form  all  those  recipes  and  so-called  "trade  secrets"  which 
have  been  so  extensively  advertised  and  offered  for  sale.  It  is  by  no  means  a 
claptrap  book,  though  it  exposes  many  claptraps.  It  contains  a  large  amount  of 
valuable  information  that  can  not  be  readily  found  elsewhere:  and  it  gives  not  only 
the  formula?,  &c.,  for  manufacturing  an  immense  variety  of  articles,  but  important 
and  trustworthy  hints  as  to  the  best  way  of  making  money  out  of  them.  Even  as  a 
book  of  recipes  it  is  worth  more  than  its  price  to  any  one  who  is  interested  in  the 
subject  on  which  it  treats. 


CATALOC.rK    <)V   IMU'STRIAL    7,'OOAX 
A    PRACTICAL    GUIDE   TO 

SUCCESS     IN     THE      USE     OF     RECIPES, 

Formulae,  &e.,  with  Hints  on  Chemical  and  Mechanical  Manipula- 
tion.—  Intended  as  a  supplement  to  all  books  of  recipes. —  By 
JOHN  PHIN. —  12rno,  paper 25  cents. 

While  it  is  an  undoubted  fact  that  many  of  the  recipes  published  in  the  ordinary 
collections  are  erroneous,  either  from  original  blunders  on  the  part  of  the  authors 
or  from  mistakes  in  copying,  failure  in  the  use  of  others  frequently  arises  from 
defective  information  and  vicious  methods  on  the  part  of  those  who  attempt  to  put 
them  in  practice.  The  object  of  the  present  book  is  to  give  such  hints  and  cautions 
as  will  enable  the  worker  to  secure  success  where  success  is  possible ;  and  where 
the  products  are  intended  for  sale  it  gives  special  and  valuable  advice  as  to  the  best 
methods  of  putting  them  011  the  market. 

A    MANUAL    OF    INSTRUCTION    IN 

THE      ART      OF      WOOD       ENGRAVING. 

With  a  Description  of  the  necessary  Tools  and  Apparatus,  and 
Concise  Directions  for  their  Use ;  Explanations  of  the  Terms  used 
and  the  Methods  employed  for  producing  the  various  classes  of 
Wood  Engravings. —  By  S.  E.  FULLER. —  Fully  illustrated  with 
engravings  by  the  author,  separate  sheets  of  engravings  for  trans- 
fer and  practice  being  added. —  New  edition,  neatly  bound.  50  cts. 
A  really  thoi-ough  and  practical  work,  written  for  those  who  want  to  learn  the 
art  without  the  aid  of  a  teacher. 

A     GUIDE     TO     COLLODIO      ETCH  ING -By 

Rev.  BENJAMIN    HARTLEY. —  Illustrated   by  the   author. —  12mo, 

cloth $1.00 

This  volume  gives  complete  and  minute  instructions  for  one  of  the  most  delight- 
ful of  amateur  arts.  It  is  fully  illustrated  by  woodcuts  of  all  the  apparatus  used 
(which  is  very  simple  and  easily  made),  and  also  by  actual  photo-prints  of  the 
etchings  themselves. 

THE     PRACTICAL     POCKET     COMPANION. 

A  Cyclopedia  of  the  most  useful  Facts,  Figures,  and  General 
Information  required  by  everybody  in  everyday  life. —  Edited  by 
JOHN  PHIN,  author  of  "How  to  Use  the  Microscope,"  "The  Work- 
shop Companion,"  "Chemical  History  of  the  Six  Days  of  Crea- 
tion," &c. —  Numerous  illustrations 10  cents. 

CONTENTS. —  Abbreviations  in  Common  Use — Business  Laws  and  Commercial 
Rules — Acceptances — Agencies — Bills  of  Exchange — Checques — Common  Carriers — 
Coi-porations — Law  of  Finding — Indorsements — Innkeepers — Negotiable  Instruments 
— Partnerships — Promissoiy  Notes — Protests — Receipts — Concrete  Walls  for  Houses 
— Copyrights — Rules  for  Correspondence — How  to  treat  Accidents  to  the  Eye — Fac- 
tors of  Safety — Best  Methods  of  Extinguishing  Fires — Language  of  Flowers — Sig- 
nificance of  Gems  and  Precious  Stones — Periods  of  Gestation  and  Incubation — Leg.-il 
Holidays — Homestead  Law — Distinguishing  Characteristics  and  Anxious  Periods  <>f 
Infectious  Diseases— Prevention  of  Attacks  of  Insects— Knots,  and  How  to  Tic 
Them,  with  full  page  of  illustrations — General  Rules — Single  Draw-knot — Galley- 
knot— Square-knot,  or  Reefing-knot— Weaver's-knot,  or  Sheet-bend-knot— Half-hitch 
—Two  Half-hitches— Clove-hitch— Timber-hitch— Bowline-knot  —  Fisherman's-knot 
— Whipping  or  Binding — Tying  Parcels — Care  of  Leather — Lightning-rods,  general 
rules  for — Best  Materials — Proper  Size  and  Best  Shapes  of  Rod — Painting — Points, 
or  Air-Terminals — Ground  Connections — Arrangement  and  Mode  of  Attaching  the 
Rod  to  the  House — Value  of  Moneys  of  Foreign  Nations — Passports — Patents — Anti- 
dotes for  Poisons — Postal  Rules  and  Rates — Railroad  and  Steamboat  Signals — Rules 
for  Spelling  and  the  Use  of  Capitals — Trade-marks — Weather  Indications,  &c. 


CATALOGVB    OF  INDUSTRIAL  BOOKS. 


WHAT   TO    DO   AND    HOW  TO    DO    IT   IN    CASE 

OF  ACCIDENT.— A  book  for  everybody.— Cloth,  gilt.   50  cts. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  useful  books  ever  published.  It  tells  exactly  what  to 
do  in  case  of  accidents,  such  as  severe  cuts,  sprains,  dislocations,  broken  bones, 
burns  with  tire,  scalds,  burns  with  corrosive  chemicals,  sunstroke,  suffocation  by 
foul  air,  hanging,  drowning,  frost-bite,  fainting,  stings,  starvation,  lightning,  poisons, 
accidents  from  machinery  and  from  the  falling  of  scaffolding,  gunshot  wounds,  &c. 
It  ought  to  be  in  eveiy  house,  for  young  and  old  are  liable  to  accident,  and  the 
directions  given  in  this  book  might  be  the  means  of  saving  many  a  valuable  life. 

COMMON    SENSE    IN    THE    POULTRY-YARD. 

A  Story  of  Failures  and   Successes,  including  a  full  account  of 
1,000  liens  and  what  they  did.    With  a  complete  description  of  the 
houses,  coops,  fences,  runs,  methods  of  feeding,  breeding,  market- 
ing, &c.,  and  many  new  wrinkles   and   economical  dodges.— By 
J.  P.  HAIG. — With  numerous  illustrations.— Cloth,  gilt  title.      $1 
This  is  a  lively  and  entertaining  work,  which  embodies  the  actual  experience  of 
many  years  in  the  keeping  of  poultry  in  large  and  small  numbers.     It  is  the  most 
thoroughly  practical  work  on  poultry  in  the  market,  and  contains  an  amount  of 
solid  information  which,  to  even  the  keeper  of  a  dozen  fowls,  will  make  it  worth 
many  times  its  cost. 

A    DICTIONARY    OF    PRACTICAL     BEE-KEEPING. 

With  Notes  and  Practical  Hints.— By  JOHN  PHIN,  author  of 
"How  to  Use  the  Microscope,"  &e. —  Numerous  illustrations.— 

Cloth,  gilt 50  cents. 

This  work  discusses  thoroughly  nearly  five  hundi'ed  subjects.  Gives  in  con- 
densed form  an  immense  amount  of  valuable  information  under  the  different  head- 
ings. Under  the  heads  Hee,  Comb,  Glucose,  Honey,  Race,  Species,  8ugar,  Wax.  and 
others,  it  brings  together  a  lai-ge  number  of  important  facts  and  figures  now  scat- 
tered through  our  bee  literature  and  costly  scientific  works,  and  are  not  easily 
found  when  wanted.  Here  they  can  be  referred  to  at  once  under  the  proper  head. 

PLAIN     DIRECTIONS     FOR    ACQUIRING 

THE    ART    OF    SHOOTING    ON    THE    WING. 

With  Useful  Hints  concerning  all  that  relates  to  Guns  and  Shoot- 
ing, particularly  in  regard  to  the  art  of  loading  so  as  to  kill.  To 
which  has  been  added  several  valuable  and  hitherto  secret  recipes, 
of  great  practical  importance  to  the  sportsman.— By  AN  OLD  GAME- 
KEEPER.—  12mo,  cloth 75  cents. 

This  book  contains  a  novel  and  most  valuable  feature  found  in  no  other  work  on 
this  subject.  This  is  a  series  of  graduated  lessons  by  which  the  self-taught  young 
sportsman  is  enabled  to  advance  step  by  step  from  such  easy  marks  as  a  sheet  of  pa- 
per nailed  on  a  fence  to  the  most  difficult  trap-shooting  and  the  sharpest  snap-shots. 

THE    PISTOL  AS    A  WEAPON    OF   DEFENCE, 

In  the  House  and  on  the  Road.— 12mo,  cloth.  ...     50  cents 
This  work  aims  to  instruct  peaceable  and  law-abiding  citizens  in  the  best  means 
of  protecting  themselves  from  the  attacks  of  the  brutal  and  the  lawless,  and  it  is  the 
only  practical  book  published  on  this  subject.     Its  contents  are  as  follows: — 

The  Pistol  as  a  Weapon  of  Defence— The  Carrying  of  Firearms— Different  kinds 
of  Pistols  in  Market — How  to  Choose  a  Pistol — Ammunition,  different  kinds :  powder, 
caps,  bullets,  copper  cartridges,  &c. — Best  form  of  Bullet — How  to  Load — Best 
Charge  for  Pistols — How  to  Regulate  the  Charge — Care  of  the  Pistol :  how  to  clean 
it — How  to  Handle  and  Cany  the  Pistol — How  to  Learn  to  Shoot — Practical  Use  of 
the  Pistol— How  to  Protect  Yourself  and  Disable  your  Antagonist. 


CATALOGUE    OF  INDUSTRIAL  BOOKS. 

CHEMICAL  HISTORY  of  the  SIX  DAYS  of  CREATION 

By  JOHN  PHIN,  author  of  "How  to  Use  the  Microscope,"  &c. 
12mo,  cloth 75  cents. 

In  this  volume  an  attempt  is  made  to  trace  the  evolution  of  our  globe  from  the 
primeval  state  of  nebulous  mist,  "without  form  and  void,"  and  existing  in  "dark- 
ness." or  with  an  entire  absence  of  the  manifestation  of  the  physical  forces,  to  the 
condition  in  which  it  was  fitted  to  become  the  habitation  of  man.  While  the  state- 
ments and  conclusions  are  rigidly  scientific,  it  gives  some  exceedingly  novel  views 
of  a  rather  hackneyed  subject. 

THE  SUN:  A  Familiar  Description  of  his  Phenomena. 

By  Eev.  THOMAS  WILLIAM  WEBB,  M.A.,  F.R.A.S.,  author  of 
"Celestial  Objects  for  Common  Telescopes." — With  numerous 
illustrations.—  12mo,  cloth 40  cents. 

This  work  gives,  in  a  delightfully  popular  style,  an  account  of  the  most  recent 
discoveries  in  regard  to  the  sun.  It  is  freely  illustrated. 

HOW      TO      USE       THE      MICROSCOPE. 

A  Book  of  Practical  Hints  on  the  Selection  and  Use  of  the 
Microscope.  Intended  for  beginners. —  By  JOHN  PHIN,  editor  of 
The  American  Journal  of  Microscopy. —  Sixth  edition.  Greatly 
enlarged,  with  over  eighty  engravings  in  the  text,  and  eight  full- 
page  engravings,  printed  on  heavy  tint  paper. — 12mo,  cloth.  $1.25 

This  work  has  been  received  with  such  general  favor  that  it  has  passed  through 
five  large  editions  in  a  few  years.  It  gives  a  full  account  of  the  different  kinds  of 
microscopes;  of  the  various  accessories,  and  of  the  best  methods  of  using  them; 
of  the  best  methods  of  collecting,  preparing,  and  preserving  objects,  and  preparing 
slides  and  cabinets.  Many  of  the  illustrations,  devices,  and  methods  used,  are 
original  with  the  author,  although  they  have  been  freely  copied  and  appropriated 
without  credit  by  several  other  writers. 

A     BOOK     FOR 

BEGINNERS     WITH     THE     MICROSCOPE. 

Being  an  abridgement  of  "How  to  Use  the  Microscope." — By 
JOHN  PHIN. —  Fully  illustrated,  and  neatly  and  strongly  bound 
in  boards 30  cents. 

This  book  was  prepared  for  the  use  of  those  who,  having  no  knowledge  of  the 
use  of  the  microscope, —  or,  indeed,  of  any  scientific  apparatus, —  desire  simple  and 
practical  instruction  in  the  best  methods  of  managing  the  instrument  and  preparing 
objects. 

THE     MICROSCOPE.— By  ANDREW  Ross.— Fully  illustrated. 
12mo,  cloth,  gilt  title 75  cents. 

This  is  the  celebrated  article  contributed  by  Andrew  Ross  to  "The  Penny  Cyclo- 
pedia," and  quoted  so  frequently  by  writers  on  the  microscope.  Carpenter  and 
Hogg,  in  the  latest  editions  of  their  works  on  the  microscope,  and  Brooke,  in  his 
treatise  on  Natural  Philosophy,  all  refer  to  this  article  as  the  best  source  for  full 
and  clear  information  in  regard  to  the  principles  upon  which  the  modern  :iHiromatio 
microscope  is  consti'ucted.  It  should  be  in  the  library  of  every  person  to  whom  the 
microscope  is  more  than  a  toy.  It  is  written  in  simple  language,  free  from  abstruse 
technicalities. 


CATALOGUE    OF  INDUSTRIAL  BOOKS. 

THE  ANGULAR  APERTURE  OF  MICROSCOPE 
OBJECTIVES. 

By  Dr.  GEORGE  E.  BLACKHAM.— Eighteen  full-page  illustrations. 
Printed  on  extra  fine  paper.—  8vo,  cloth $1.25 

This  is  the  elaborate  paper  on  Angular  Aperture  read  by  Dr.  Blackham  before 
the  Microscopical  Congress,  held  at  Indianapolis. 

SECTION-CUTTING      FOR      THE      MICROSCOPE. 

A  Practical  Guide  to  the  Preparation  and  Mounting  of  Sections 
for  t)ie  Microscope,  special  prominence  being  given  to  the  subject 
'of  Animal  Sections. —  By  SYLVESTER  MARSH,  M.D. —  Reprinted 
from  the  London  edition. —  With  illustrations. —  12mo,  cloth,  gilt 

title 75  cents. 

This  is  undoubtedly  the  most  thorough  treatise  extant  upon  section-cutting 
in  all  its  details.  The  American  edition  has  been  greatly  enlarged  by  valuable 
explanatory  notes;  and  also  by  extended  directions,  illustrated  with  engravings,  for 
selecting  and  sharpening  knives  and  razors. 

THE       MARVELS       OF       POND        LIFE. 

A  Year's  Microscopic  Recreations  among  the  Polyps,  Infusoria, 
Rotifers,  Water-Bears,  and  Polyzoa.— By  HENRY  J.  SLACK,  F.G.S., 
F.R.M.S.,  &c. —  Seven  full-page  plates,  and  numerous  wood  en- 
gravings in  the  text. —  Second  edition. — 12mo,  cloth,  gilt.  .  $1 

DIATOMS.— Practical  Directions  for  Collecting,  Pre- 
serving, Transporting,  Preparing,  and  Mounting  Diatoms. —  By 
Prof.  A.  MEAD  EDWARDS,  M.D.,  Prof.  CHRISTOPHER  JOHNSTON, 
M.D.,  Prof.  HAMILTON  L.  SMITH,  LL.D.— 12mo,  cloth.  75  cents. 

This  volume  contains  the  most  complete  series  of  directions  for  collecting, 
preparing,  and  mounting  diatoms,  ever  published.  The  directions  given  sire  the 
latest  and  best. 

BACTERIA:    FORMS   AND    MODES    OF   GROWTH. 

A  Series  of  Papers  on  the  Exhibits  at  the  Biological  Laboratory 
of  the  Health  Exhibition,  under  the  charge  of  WATSON  CHEYNE. 
Reprinted  from  the  London  Lancet.—  Illustrated  with  over  thirty 
engravings,  showing  the  forms  and  modes  of  growth  of  the  various 
species,  and  the  apparatus  used  in  the  different  "  cultures. "- 
12mo,  paper 25  cents. 

TRICHIN>E    SPIRALIS:    How  to    Detect  Them    and 

HOW  to  Avoid  Them.— A  Popular  Account  of  the  Habits, 
Modes  of  Propagation,  and  Means  of  Dissemination  of  Pork- 
worms  or  Flesh-worms.— By  JOHN  PHIN,  author  of  "How  to  Use 
the  Microscope."— Fully  illustrated. —  Paper.  ,  .  ,  25  cents, 


CATALOGUE    OF  INDUSTRIAL  BOOKS. 


HANDBOOK     OF     URINARY    ANALYSIS,   Chemical 

and     Microscopical. —  For  the  Use    of    Physicians,   Medical 
Students,  and  Clinical  Assistants. —  By  FRANK  M.  DEEMS,  M.D., 
Laboratory  Instructor  in  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  New  York;   Member  of  the   New  York  County  Medical 
Society;   Member  of  the  New  York  Microscopical  Society,  &c. — 
Second  edition.— Greatly  enlarged,  and  fully  illustrated. — Cloth.  $1 
Tliis  manual  presents  a  plan  for  the  systematic  examination  of  liquid  urine, 
urinary  deposits,  and  calculi.      It  is  compiled  with  the  intention  of  supplying  a 
roncise  guide,  which,  from  its  small  compass  and  tabulated  arrangement,  renders 
it  admirably  adapted  for  use,  both  as  a  bedside  reference-book  and  a  work-table 
companion.     The  author  is  well  known  as  one  who  has  had  for  several  years  a  very 
extended  experience  as  a  teacher  of  this  important  branch  of  physical  diagnosis,  and 
lie  has  compiled  a  manual  which  will  serve  to  lessen  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of 
tht>  beginner,  and  save  valuable  time  to  the  practitioner. 

THE    MICROSCOPIST'S    ANNUAL  FOR   1879 

Contains  a  list  of  all  the  microscopical  societies  in  the  country,  with  names  of 
officers,  days  of  meeting,  &c.;  alphabetical  and  classified  lists  of  all  the  manufac- 
turers of  microscopes  and  objectives,  dissecting  apparatus,  microscopic  objects, 
materials  for  microscopists,  &c.,  in  Europe  and  America;  postal  rates,  rules  and 
regulations,  prepared  expressly  for  microscopists.  Weights  and  measures,  with 
tables  and  rules  for  the  conversion  of  diffei'ent  measures  into  each  other;  customs 
duties  and  regulations  in  regard  to  instruments  and  books;  value  of  the  moneys  of 
all  countries  in  United  States  dollars;  value  of  the  lines  on  Nobert's  test-plates; 
table  of  Moller's  probe-platte,  with  the  number  of  lines  to  inch  on  the  several 
diatoms,  &c.;  focal  value  of  the  objectives  of  those  makers  who  number  their 
objectives  (Hartnack.  Nachet,  &c.);  focal  value  of  the  eyepieces  of  different  makers; 
magnifying  power  of  eyepieces  and  objectives,  &c.  The  whole  forming  an  indis- 
pensable companion  for  every  working  microscopist.— Limp  cloth,  gilt.  25  cents. 

A  BOOK  ABOUT  BOOKS;  or,  Practical  Notes  on  the 
Selection,  Use,  and  Care  of  Books. 

Intended  as  a  popular  guide  for  bookbuyers,  students,  and  all 
lovers  of  good  reading. —  Cloth 40  cents. 

This  is  a  readable,  gossipy  book,  full  of  literary  anecdotes,  and  containing  also 
a  great  deal  of  practical  information,  useful  to  every  one  that  owns  or  expects  to 
own  books.  The  directions  for  binding,  repairing,  preserving,  and  handling  books, 
should  receive  the  careful  attention  of  every  one  that  desires  to  keep  his  books  in 
good  condition ;  but  even  if  regarded  as  mere  pleasant  reading  for  a  leisure  hour, 
there  are  few  more  readable  and  interesting  books  than  this,  with  its  gossip,  chat, 
and  stories.  It  is  illustrated  with  three  full-page  engravings,  one  being  a  reproduc- 
tion of  the  first  wood  engraving  of  which  there  is  any  record;  the  second  is  an 
exceedingly  curious  woodcut  representing  the  birth  of  Eve;  and  the  third  is  an 
engraving  of  one  of  the  curious  "hornbooks"  of  the  seventeenth  century. 

RHYMES   OF  SCIENCE:   WISE  AND  OTHERWISE. 

By  OLIVER  WENDELL  HOLMES,  BRET  HARTE,  INGOLDSBY,  Prof.  FORBES,  Prof. 
J.  W.  McQ.  RANKINE,  Hon.  R.  W.  RAYMOND,  and  others.— With  illustrations. 
Cloth,  gilt  title 50  cents. 

THE  YOUNG  SCIENTIST.— This  journal  was  devoted  to  amateur 
Science  and  Art,  and  was  deservedly  a  favorite  with  young  people.  We  have  a 
few  bound  volumes  for  sale.  Price  75  cents  each. 

THE     AMERICAN     JOURNAL     OF    MICROSCOPY. 

A  few  bound  volumes  for  sale.    Price  $1  each. 


CATALOGUE    OF  INDUSTRIAL  BOOKS. 


REMINISCENCES    OF 
SCOTTISH      LIFE     AND      CHARACTER. 

By  E.  B.  RAMSAY,  M.A.,  LL.D.,  F.R.S.E.,  late  Dean  of  Edinburgh. 
Third  edition,  from  the  author's  latest  edition. —  With  portrait. 
12mo,  cloth $1.50 

The  Scotch  have  made  such  a  deep  mark  in  the  literature,  science,  and  mechan- 
ics of  the  world,  that  whatever  illustrates  their  peculiar  modes  and  habits  of  thought 
and  action  must  be  of  intense  interest  to  every  thinking  mind. 

The  above  book  consists  of  a  series  of  anecdotes  and  descriptions  which  are 
nm-qualled  for  racy  vit  and  quiet  humor,  and  as  affording  a  deep  insight  into 
hum-in  nature.  It  is  not  a  compilation  of  jokes  by  a  hackney  bookmaker,  but  a 
work  of  broad  views  and  philosophical"  thought,  by  a  man  of  learaing  and  ability. 
It  is  intensely  interesting  to  every  thoughtful  reader;  but  the  Scotchman  who  fails 
to  read  it  misses  one  of  the  grardest  treats  afforded  by  any  literature. 

in  Pre^v     A    DICTIONARY    OF    RECENT    WORDS 

*N 

PHYSICAL     SCIENCE      AND      ELECTRICITY. 

Giving  their  Meanings ;    the  Formula}  and  Value  of  the  Units; 

GKd  numerous  Practical  Notes  and  Hints. 

By  JOHN    PHIN, 

Author  of  "Practical  Treatise  on  the  Construction  and  Erection  of  Lightning-Rods," 
"The  Chemical  History  of  the  Six  Days  of  Creation."  "How  to  Use  the  Micro- 
scope," &c. —  12mo,  cloth 75  cents. 

This  is  a  handy  book,  intended  to  give,  in  the  simplest  language  and  with  thor- 
ough accuracy,  the  meaning  of  the  new  terms  which  have  been  introduced  into 
physical  and  electrical  science,  and  which  are  not  to  be  found  in  any  dictionary 
except  the  very  late  and  expensive  ones.  It  is  intended  for  the  use  of  the  self- 
taught  man. 

A    LIVE    PRACTICAL   JOURNAL    FOR   WORKERS. 

THE      OPERATIVE      BUILDER. 

Edited  by  FRED.  T.  HODGSON, 

Author  of  "The  Steel  Square  and  Its  Uses,"  "Practical  Carpentry,"  " Stairbuilding 
Made  Easy,"  &e. 

This  is  a  monthly  journal  devoted  to  the  arts  conne<*.tc'l  r*ith  tHs  IruHing  trade, 
and  especially  to  woodworking. 

It  will  be  published  monthly.     Price  50  cents  per  year. 
*%  Send  for  free  specimen  copy.     Address 

INDUSTRIAL    PUBLICATION    COMPANY. 
NEW  YORK. 


CATALOGUE    OF  INDUSTRIAL  BOOKS. 

IN     PREPARATION. 

THE   UNIVERSAL  CARPENTER  AND  JOINER. 

By  FRED.  T.  HODGSON,  author  of  "The  Steel  Square  and  Its  Uses," 
"Practical  Carpentry,"  " Stairbuilding  Made  Easy,"  "The  Build- 
er's Guide,  and  Estimator's  Price-Book,"  &c. 


To  be  handsomely  illustrated,  and  published  in  four  parts,  as  follows : 

PART    I — CARPENTER'S     GEOMETRY. 

Part   I   will   contain   Carpenter's    Geometry,   presented   in   an   easy  form, 

with  examples  of  its  practical  applications  in  Carpentry  and  Joinery, 

showing  how  to  get  and  work  difficult  "cuts"  and  pitches. 


PART    II.— THE    ART    AND    SCIENCE    OF    CARPENTRY. 

Part   II  will  be  an  introduction  to  the  Art   and    Science  of  Carpentry 

proper,   with   working    drawings    of    Roofs,    Bridges, 

Bevel    and    Skew   Work. 


PART    III.— AMERICAN    JOINERY. 

Part    III    will    contain   a   practical    treatise    on   American   Joinery,   with 

descriptions  and  examples  of  some  of  the  best  work  in  existence. 

This  Part  will  be  full  of  excellent   material   for  the 

Joiner    and    Finisher. 


PART    IV.— JOINERY     AND     CARPENTRY. 

Part    IV  will    contain  a  large    number  of  examples  in  mixed  Joinery  and 

Carpentry,   Rules   for  Working,   Methods    of   Working,   Tables, 

Data  for  Estimating,  Formula?  for  laying  out  work,  and 

Recipes  useful  to  the  Practical  Workman. 


It  will  be  the  aim  of  the  author  to  make  the  above  work  the  most  complete 
treatise  on  Carpentry  and  Joinery  published  to  date.  It  will  be  issued  in  four 
Parts,  each  part  consisting  of  not  less  than  100  large  royal  octavo  pages,  printed  on 
fine  paper,  and  strongly  bound  in  stiff  paper  covers.  The  price  will  be  one  dollar 
per  Part;  and  when  complete  the  whole  will  form  one  volume,  the  price  of  which, 
handsomely  bound  in  extra  cloth,  will  be  $">. 

The  First  Part  will  be  ready  about  the  first  of  August,  1892,  and  the  remaining 
Parts  at  intervals  of  about  three  months. 

To  those  sending  advance  orders  for  two  Parts,  accompanied  with  the  cash,  we 
will  send  a  binding-order,  which  will  be  accepted  by  us  as  payment  in  full  for 
binding  the  complete  work  in  neat  cloth,  with  gilt  title. 


THE  WORKSHOP  COMPANION, 

A.  Collection   of  Useful    and   Reliable   Recipes, 

Rule*.    Processes,   Methods,   Wrinkles, 

and   Practical    Hints, 

JFOJR  THE  HOUSEHOLD  dLJ%*D    THE  SHOJP. 


Abyssinian  Gold:— Accidents,  General  Rules; — Alabaster,  how  to  work,  polish  and 
clean; — Alcohol; — Ai1  ••  vs.  lor  making,  and  26  recipes; — Amber,   how   to  work, 

polish  and  mend; — Annealing  and  Hardening  glass,  copper,  steel,  etc.; — Arsenical 
So-'.p; — Arsenical  Powder; — Beeswax,  how  to  bleach; — Blackboards,  how  to  make; — 
Brass,  how  to  work,  polish,  color,  varnish,  whiten,  deposit  by  electricity,  clean,  etc., 
etc.;  —Brazing  and  Soldering; — Bronzing  brass,  wood,  leather,  etc.; — Bums,  how  to 
cure; — Case-hardening ; — Catgut,  how  prepared; — Cements.,  general  rules  for  using,  and 
56  recipes  for  yreparing; — Copper,  working,  welding,  depositing; — Coral,  artificial; — 
Cork,  working; — Crayons  for  Blackboards; — Curling  brass,  iron,  etc.; — Liquid  Cu- 
ticle;—Etching  copper,  steel,  glass;— Eye,  accidents  to;— Fires,  to  prevent;— Clothes  on 
Fire; — Fireproof  Dresses; — Fly  Papers; — Freezing  Mixtures,  6  recipes; — Fumigating 
Pastils; — Gilding  metal,  leather,  wood,  etc.; — Glass,  cutting,  drilling,  turning  in  the 
lathe,  fitting  stoppers,  removing  tight  stoppers,  powdering,  packing,  imitating  ground 
glass,  washing  glass  vessels,  etc.  ; — Grass,  Dry,  to  stain ; — Guns,  to  make  shoot  close, 
to  keep  from  rusting,  to  brown  the  barrels  of,  etc.,  etc. ; — Handles,  to  fasten  ; — Inks, 
rules  for  selecting  and  preserving,  and  34  recipes  for; — Ink  Eraser; — Inlaying; — Iron, 
forging,  welding,  case-hardening,  zincing,  tinning,  do.  in  the  cold,  brightening,  etc, 
etc. ; — Ivory,  to  work,  polish,  bleach,  etc. ; — Javelle  Water; — jewelry  and  Gilded  Ware, 
care  of,  cleaning,  coloring,  etc. ; — Lacquer,  how  to  make  and  apply; — Laundry  Gloss;— — 
Skeleton  Leaves; — Lights,  signal  and  colored,  also  for  tableaux,  photography,  etc.,  25 
recipes; — Lubricators,  selection  of,  4  recipes  for; — Marble,  working,  polishing,  clean- 
ing;—  Metals,  polishing  ; — Mirrors,  care  of,  to  make,  pure  silver,  etc.,  etc.; — Nickel, 
to  plate  with  without  a  battery; — Noise,  prevention  of; — Painting  Bright  Metals; — 
Paper,  adhesive,  barometer,  glass,  tracing,  transfer,  waxed,  etc.; — Paper,  to  clean,  take 
creases  out  of,  remove  water  stains,  mount  drawing  paper,  to  prepare  for  varnishing, 
etc  ,  etc. ;— Patiia;—  Patterns,  to  trace;— Pencils,  indeHHe ;—  Pencil  Marks,  to  fix;— 
Pewter;  — Pillows  for  Sick  Room,  cheap  and  good  ;-  Vla-ier-of-Paris,  how  to  work;— 
Poisons,  antidotes  for,  12  recipes; — Polishing  Powders,  preparation  and  use  of  (six 
-Resins,  their  properties,  etc.  ;— Saws,  how  to  sharpen;— Sieves;— Shellac, 
properties  and  uses  of; — Silver,  properties  of,  oxidized,  old,  cleaning,  to  remove  ink 
nm,  to  dissolve  from  plated  goods,  etc.,  etc. ;— Silvering  metals,  leather,  iron, 
etc.  ; — Size,  preparation  of  various  kinds  of; — Skins,  tanning  and  curing,  do  with  hair 
on;— Stains,  to  remove  from  all  kinds  of  goods;— Steel,  tempering  and  working  (six 
p;i^es): — Tin,  properties,  methods  of  working; — Varnish,  21  recipes  for; — Varnishing, 
directions  for; — Voltaic  Batteries; — Watch,  care  of; — Waterproofing,  7  recipes  for; — 
Whitewash;-— Wood  FIoo/s,  waxin?,  staining,  and  polishing;— Wood,  polishing;— 
Wood,  staining,  17  recipes; — Zinc,  to  pulverize,  black  varnish  for. 

104  closely-printed  pages,  neatly  bound.     Sent  bv  mail  for  36  cents 
(postage  stamps  received). 


Edited  by  FRED.  T.  HODGSON,  Author  of  "  The  Steel  Square  and  Its 

Uses,"  "  Practical  Carpentry,"  "  Stair  Building  Made  Easy."  etc. 

THE  OPERATIVE  BUILDER  is  published  on  the  first  day  of  each 
month  and  contains  16  large  pages,  printed  in  the  best  manner  on 
fine  paper.  It  is  illustrated  with  useful  working  drawings,  details 
and  diagrams,  all  made  to  scale,  with  full  descriptions  and  explana- 
tions of  the  same.  Each  issue  contains  several  pages  of  good,  prac- 
tical matter  on  subjects  pertaining  to  the  various  arts  which  it 
represents,  and  a  question  and  answer  column  is  under  the  super- 
vision of  several  thoroughly  practical  men.  Such  new  tools,  new 
methods,  new  machines,  new  materials  and  inventions  as  are  of  use 
to  its  readers  are  fully  described  and  commented  on. 

Careful  and  impartial  reviews  of  all  new  books  and  journals  relat- 
ing to  the  building  trades  are  published  from  time  to  time,  so  that 
its  readers  will  have  an  opportunity  of  judging  a  book  or  journal  on 
its  merits  before  purchasing. 

In  short,  it  is  the  object  of  the  editors  and  publishers  to  make  it  a 

LIVE,   PRACTICAL  AND   INSTRUCTIVE  JOURNAL,  Which  Will  diSCUSS  in  a 

simple,  yet  rigidly  thorough  and  accurate  manner,  all  those  mattei-s 
which  relate  to  the  progress  of  the  building  arts. 

THE  OPERATIVE  BUILDER  offers  special  inducements  to  adver- 
tisers of  builders'  tools  and  materials,  and  painters'  and  decorators' 
requirements,  as  we  guarantee  an  average  monthly  circulation  ol 
10.000  copies,  and  are  ready  to  exhibit  the  proofs  of  this  to  any  one 
who  has  a  right  to  ask  for  it.  and  our  rates  are  so  low  that  no  dealer 
in  the  goods  named  can  afford  to  ignore  us. 

As  the  circulation  is  so  large  the  publishers  are  able  to  make  the 
sub.-ciption.  price  very  low,  viz:  Fifty  Cents  per  year ;  Five  Cents  for 
.single,  numbers.  Specimen  copies  will  be  sent  free  to  any  part. of 
1  he'  world,  to  those  who  send  us  their  address  for  that  purpose.  1  HE 
OPERATIVE  BUILDER  may  also  be  obtained  from  any  newsstand  m 
thti  I  'nil  cd  states  or  Canada. 

Industrial  Publication  Company, 
P.O.  i?ox3Kr>2.  22  College  Place,  New  York. 


Gaylamount 

Pamphlet 

Binder 

Gaylord  Bros..  Inc. 

Stockton,  Calif. 
T.  M.  Reg.  U.S.  Pat.  Off. 


YB  &794I 


M433S9 


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